For the Republic
by Wanderer101
Summary: The United Republic of States after 6000 years ascends to the stars. The Council will have to contend with a nation that is better than them in every way. This is kind of a humanity F* Yeah! story. Well what did you expect from a game that lets you build a nation that makes our countries look like boy scout troops. Rated T for "Just in Case..."
1. Chapter 1

**For the Republic**

" _ **Oh Great Blue Skies and Emerald Plains**_

 _ **Where Freedom and Justice Prevails!**_

 _ **With Courage and Strength**_

 _ **We'll to fight to end**_

 _ **For Liberty and the World!"**_

Excerpt from " _Hymn of Liberty_ "

United Republic Anthem

 **FTR**

* * *

 **4005 BC-** A man that answers only to the name Wanderer joins a tribe of nomads in what is today the Republic Mainland. The man is met with suspicion early on but quickly wins the tribe's trust and respect with his kind nature & charisma. In a mere two years he has become the leader of the tribe.

 **4000 BC-** The Wanderer leads the tribe to the coast and teaches them something that will change their very way of life: Farming. With the knowledge on how to grow their own food the tribe settles down on the coast and builds a small settlement. They name this new settlement Republic City.

 **3990 BC-** Republic City starts to grow as people begin to start families and other nomads join the town. It is then that citizens start to notice their leader has not aged a day since he joined their tribe. The townspeople however shrug this new bit of information off since the Wanderer is a just and wise leader. If he didn't age shouldn't that make things better?

 **3900 BC-** It is now 100 years since Republic City's founding. It is now confirmed the Wanderer does not age like a normal person. This largely met with indifference since the people have experienced 100 years of prosperity.

 **3800 BC-** The Wanderer begins to spread the ideas of Liberty to the people of Republic City.

 **3700 BC-** An elected group of citizens known as the Council is formed to help the Wanderer run Republic City. The Senate's first order of business is sending team of settlers to build a town in a resource rich natural bay north of Republic City. The town is named Liberty City.

 **3550 BC-** The people of Republic City begin following a religion based upon the respect and worship of the Earth and the mineral bounties she has gifted humanity. The new religion called Earth Mother quickly spreads to Liberty City.

 **3500 BC-** Liberty City has until this point was its own separate settlement with a small council to run things. The signing of the Charter of Freedom changed all of that. Liberty City was now a part of the newly formed United Republic of States. The Wanderer is named Head Consul.

 **3400 BC-** While searching west for new lands the Republic encounters its first new nation. The City-State of Mogadishu is insular and has no desires for expansion. Despite this its leaders are open to forming an alliance.

 **3399 BC-** The citizens of Mogadishu are shocked when they learn the Republic's leader the Wanderer is immortal. Likewise the Republic's citizens are stunned to learn Mogadishu doesn't have an immortal leader.

 **3275 BC-** The Republic Island is fully charted.

 **3150 BC-** After years of construction the Great Library of Republic City is complete. The library contains all the accumulated knowledge of the Republic for anyone's use. This causes an explosion of knowledge which propels the Republic from what is now known as the Ancient Era to the Classical Era.

 **2500 BC-** A temple to the Earth Mother has been built in Republic City. Thousands come to see the newly dubbed Parthenon. A painting of the main architect showing the temple to Mogadishu delegates is placed inside. It is held as the world's first great work of art.

 **2300 BC-** Aspiring writers from all over the Republic are asked to join the Republic City Writer's Guild.

 **2100 BC-** A third city is founded in the San Andreas Desert on the southwestern section of the island. The city of Los Santos quickly becomes an important city with its gold and copper resources along with a large crater nearby that has scientists flocking to it in droves.

 **2000 BC-** A great prophet is born in Republic City. The teachings of the prophet leads to the creation of a brand new religion called Protestantism. The Earth Mother religion is absorbed into this new one.

 **1500 BC-** A trireme is built and sent on a journey to explore the rest of the world. Almost immediately into their journey they discover small island home to a single city-state. The City-State of Hanoi greets the explorers warmly. Unlike Mogadishu which is mostly maritime Hanoi is a militaristic society. In exchange for protection they will regularly send some of their people to join the Republic Military. Lacking the drive to build a formidable military themselves the Republic readily accepts.

 **1250 BC-** The Republic now begins following the teachings of Aesthetics.

 **1000 BC-** A new civilization is found on a large island south of the Republic. The explorers are excited at first but later remark they wish they never even found it. The Kingdom of Nazi Germany asks the Republicans to bask in the glory of their most treasured resource; their immortal God-King Adolf Hitler. The Germans raise an eyebrow when the Republicans mention their leader is immortal too. This intrigues Hitler enough that he requests a meeting with the Wanderer. Both leaders would later say that the meeting was the most unpleasant thing they had to ever experience. Hitler thinks the Wanderer is a naïve fool for believing in things like democracy and freedom while the Wander thinks Hitler a warmongering dictator. They avoid turning their polite discussion into a shouting match because they both realize their immortality means they will be dealing with each other for a long time and it's not good for either civilization to hate each other off the bat. A city-state near Germany called Florence makes friendly contact.

 **750 BC-** A writer by the name of Lewis Carroll composes _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland._ The story is an immediate success and is held as a great work.

 **350 BC-** In honor of over 3000 years of just leadership a bronze statue of the Wanderer is erected in Republic Harbor. The Colossus of the Republic beckons immigrants from all nations to seek a better life.

 **300 BC-** A young immigrant from Florence by the name of Leonardo Da Vinci paints the _Mona Lisa_. The young artist is given national acclaim and the painting is set up in the great hall of the Wanderer's mansion.

 **200 BC-** The National College of the Republic opens in Liberty City. The United Republic leaves the Classical Era and enters the Medieval Era.

 **100 BC-** A protestant temple called Hagia Sofia is built in Los Santos. At the opening ceremony the Protestant church adds new tenants to its faith.

 **January 1, 0 CE-** The Republic Council approves the use of a brand new calendar. Citizens across the Republic celebrate to what is to be a bright future.

 **100 CE-** Another civilization to the north is discovered. The Queen Catherine of the Russian Empire greets the Wanderer with more warmth than he received in Germany. Unlike the religious vacuum that was Nazi Germany the Russians followed Eastern Orthodoxy. The two remark of the similarities of their chosen religions.

 **150 CE-** Citizens inspired by Da Vinci's work found the Republic City Artist's Guild.

 **200 CE-** Notre Dame Cathedral is built in Liberty City

 **300 CE-** Astronomers get better at navigating by the stars. With this new knowledge the Republic can reliably travel into the deep ocean without coastlines to guide them. The Council commissions a new type of ship to make use of this discovery. A Caravel christened the URS Republic City is christened and sent out west. This investment pays out with the discovery of a small island west of the Republic. The island doesn't have much in the way of resources but the Council sees it as a worthwhile investment. The island is however inhabited by tribes of barbarians. Settlement of the island is put off until the military can combat them without any risk.

 **301 CE-** A wave of knowledge and understanding flows throughout the Republic spurred by the founding of a public university system and the influx of immigrants from other nations. The Republic has entered the Renaissance Era.

 **400 CE-** The Sistine Chapel is built in Republic City. It immediately becomes the headquarters for the Protestant religion. The Wanderer begins offering rewards for new scientific discoveries. Religion is still an important part of Republic society but Rationalism is practiced by many.

 **450 CE-** Another civilization is discovered east of the United Republic. The Empire of Rome is cautious at first. Their leader Emperor Julius Caesar accepts a Republic Embassy but doesn't do much outside of quiet observation.

 **475 CE-** Republic City Musician's Guild is founded.

 **500 CE-** The Globe Theater opens in Liberty City to thousands of eager play goers.

 **550 CE-** Warfare as the world knows it changes as the United Republic invents gunpowder. The Republican Army forms the Minuteman Corps which is made entirely of soldiers wielding gunpowder based weapons. The Minuteman Corps heads to the barbarian controlled island and begins a campaign to open it up to colonization.

 **560 CE-** Half the island has been taken from the barbarians. A city is founded on the Republican side. Support from the newly formed city of Delta City helps move the republic's advance forward.

 **570 CE-** Roman missionaries spreads their religion of Catholicism to Nazi Germany. Germany's pantheon is quickly swallowed up by the more powerful roman religion and soon all of the German Mainland becomes Catholic except for Protestant Florence.

 **580 CE-** The Romans quietly ask for a bit of gold to help their struggling economy. Since the Republic's economy is booming and they want to foster friendly relations they accept.

 **600 CE-** After charting most of the world republic exploratory ships find one last civilization. The Republic of Carthage and its leader Head Consul Dido warmly greet the United Republic's explorers treating them to a lavish dinner in exchange for stories about their own land and those of other nations. On a different part of the world Republic soldiers destroy the remaining pockets of barbarian resistance. The ones that surrender are allowed to join Republic society the ones that didn't are imprisoned. The City of Steelport is founded opposite of Delta.

 **650 CE-** Republic missionaries spread Protestantism to Carthage. With a severe lack of any religion Carthage readily accepts the religion.

 **700 CE-** The Republic gathers all of the world's leaders together in Republic City for the first ever meeting of the League of Nations with the Wanderer as its host. The League discusses trade rights and land claims before dismissing.

 **900 CE-** A church tower is built in Los Santos but a poor foundation causes it to lean. The embarrassed architect looks to reclaim his honor so he builds the greatest art museum in the world in Liberty City. Uffizi soon becomes the city's most visited attraction.

 **1200 CE-** The Republic begins to heavily industrialize making use of a previously ignored resource: coal. Steelport is found to have large amounts of coal and Hanoi is found to have some deposits which they are happy to allow the Republic access to. The Industrial Era is now in full swing.

 **1300 CE-** A nationwide public education system is established. Oxford University (established in Republic City) becomes the symbol for this new educational reform.

 **1500 CE-** Factories spring up all across the Republic. The great changes the Republic has experienced in recent years calls for a restructuring in government. The Council is reorganized to have two councilors instead of one from each state and the Wanderer's title is changed from Head Consul to President.

 **1600 CE-** The Louvre Museum is constructed in Los Santos. It shows of art and artifacts from all corners of the Earth.

 **1700 CE-** The Smithsonian Institute opens in Republic City. The self-proclaimed 'Nation's Attic' has artifacts ranging from the Wanderer's sword from the nomadic days of the Republic to the musket that fired the very last shot of the Barbarian Purge.

 **1800 CE-** Relations between Carthage and the Republic grow closer with the signing of special trade agreements and an open borders treaty.

 **1820 CE-** Rome asks the Republic to declare war on Russia. The Republic refuses.

 **1830 CE-** Republic diplomat in Germany reports fleets are moving towards Carthage. Head Consul Dido is informed and as a precaution a defensive pact between the Republic and Carthage is signed. This does little to deter the Germans who declare war on Carthage. The Republic gets word of Russians and Romans going to war with each other. The First World War had begun.

 **1831 CE-** The Battle on the High Seas is fought between the German and Republic Navies. The Republic is decades ahead of the Germans in terms of technology. Republic Ironclads square off against frigates & caravels but is vastly outnumbered. Dozens of German ships are sunk but the Republic must withdraw to friendly territory after intense damage. German troops are free to attack Carthage.

 **1832 CE-** The Battle of Utique ends in Carthaginian Victory after the Germans got bogged down in siege warfare. The smaller but slightly more technologically advanced Carthaginians rally to defend the city. Licking their wounds the Germans prepare for a second assault.

 **1833 CE-** Germany doesn't get the chance when the Republic ironclads return but this time they are joined by large metal ships with huge cannons. The newest breakthrough in military technology the Liberty-Class Battleship is designed to be the final word in Naval Warfare. The German frigates and caravels are sunk from a distance they can't even comprehend. Troop ships are easy prey for Republic ironclads and Carthaginian caravels. Troops still on Carthaginian soil are destroyed by offshore battleships.

 **1834 CE-** After losing large amounts of its military might Germany reluctantly goes to the negotiation table. Hitler much to the amusement of Dido and the Wanderer signs a treaty that awards the Republic and Carthage large amounts of gold/resource reparations.

 **1835 CE-** The loss of those resources and with they're treasury empty the German people rebel against Hitler's rule.

 **1836 CE-** The German City of Munich secedes and immediately requests to join the United Republic. Taken aback the Republic accepts and the city of Munich is renamed Stilwater.

 **1837 CE-** The loss of Munich allows Hitler to get the economy in an acceptable condition. Not only that but most of the rebels were from Munich. Lacking the strength, justification, and support to take back Munich Hitler grudgingly lets the issue go.

 **1838 CE-** The War between Russian and Rome ends with the Roman occupation of St. Petersburg. The First World War is over.

 **1840 CE-** In a show of thanks for Republic support in the war Carthage constructs a statue in Liberty City Harbor. The Statue of Liberty is inscribed with a poem asking all those seeking a better life for their families to come to the Republic. A new immigration wave starts.

 **1850 CE-** The League of Nations has another meeting this time inviting city-states. The Republic still has a majority of votes with its allied city-states and Carthaginian support. The League believes an International Sports Competition would be key to raising world morale which has been lower than normal since the end of the war.

 **1855 CE-** Large amounts of theaters and music halls open on Broadway in Liberty City after the city council issued a rent reduction for 'cultural entertainment' in that section of the city.

 **1860 CE-** The International Games are held in Republic City to millions of spectators from around the world. The United Republic wins 5 Gold medals. Germany 4, Rome 4, Carthage 3, and Russia participates in the Parade of Nations but doesn't win any medals. The success of the Games prompts the League to plan a World's Fair.

 **1870 CE-** The Eiffel Tower is constructed in Delta City.

 **1890 CE-** A top secret airbase is built in the San Andreas Desert outside Los Santos. Codenamed Area 51 the base develops new types of military aircraft for the Republic.

 **1900 CE-** The World's Fair is held in Republic City.

 **1910 CE-** A statue of a key figure of the protestant religion is constructed in Steelport in an attempt to increase recognition and tourism for the city. Tourism is increased slightly but in terms of recognition Steelport's role increases exponentially. The city becomes the main supplier for the Republic Navy. Keels for a new destroyer, battleship, and 2 submarines are laid down.

 **1920 CE-** The Republic Military moves its administration center to the newly built Pentagon in Republic City.

 **1925 CE-** A special project is begun in Los Santos. The Los Santos Project is expected to bear fruit in a decade at least.

 **1930 CE-** In a surprising move Rome declares war on Carthage. The Defensive Pact between the Republic and Carthage assures the Republic's immediate involvement. Many expect a quick victory like that against Hitler but military analysts aren't so sure. Unlike the germans the romans aren't that far behind in technology with them being a good way along in their own industrial revolution. Not only that but in terms ship numbers the Romans have the Republic outgunned 3 to 1.

 **1931 CE-** The Battle of the Tea Archipelago is fought in a small archipelago east of Republic City. A small detachment Roman Navy hoping to catch the Republic off guard are meet by a Republic Fleet hoping to do the same thing to the Romans. The Romans were routed after coming under fire but not after sinking one of the Republic's battleships. The URS Knowledge went down with all hands when a shot from a Roman ironclad hit her ammo supply.

 **1932 CE-** Unknown to the Romans the loss of the Knowledge was a bigger blow than they anticipated. The Republic could build a dozen more battleships by the end of the year if they worked towards it. The problem was that the Republic couldn't work towards it. The main reason the Republic got to this point is that it focus much of its attention to improving its own territory than expanding militarily or otherwise. Germany settled on every little bit of land they could find and due to that their economy and society was near it's breaking point. That was why Stilwater (or as it was once known as Munich) seceded and joined the Republic. They saw the coming storm and didn't plan on sticking around.

Diplomats to Rome said on the outside the country looked prosperous but in the halls of government it was a different story. Rome's treasury had always hovered near total bankruptcy but moves by Russia to ban many of the resources that Rome's economy was based on pushed it over the edge. Rome invaded Russia the in the first war time to gain some of the Russian's coal. Their invasion of Carthage was to gain access to resources like Tea, or Cocoa to revitalize their economy. The Romans hoped they could take enough Carthaginian territory to force them and by extension the Republic to the negotiation table. The diplomats did warn that Rome has been making a lot of promises to Germany and Russia.

 **1933 CE-** Germany and Russia form an Alliance with Rome under the promise that after the war pieces of the United Republic would be given to them. The thought of having sections of the very prosperous Republic under their banners was too tempting so Nazi Germany and Russia sign declarations of war against Carthage and the Republic. The Second World War had begun.

 **1934** **CE-** The aircraft carrier URS Defender sits off the coast of Germany. The ship carries a compliment of B-17 Flying Fortresses. The B-17s provide support to the ground troops in Stilwater who go on to push through Germany which never quite recovered from the last war. Berlin is subject to heavy bombing.

 **1935 CE-** The Republic Navy's submarines are given full run of the Russian coastline. The URS Mjolnir, Logos, and Morpheus raises all kinds of hell upon Russia.

 **1936 CE-** A team of Hanoian mercenaries are deployed in Germany. They are able to fight the German Wehrmacht with relative ease. Under support from Republic planes and tanks the Hanoians carve a path into the heart of Germany until they stand outside the city of Berlin. There they are met by a german colonel named Claus von Stauffenberg. The Republic Forces are informed Hitler has gone into hiding with his most loyal citizens and troops. Not only that but Germany has a new leader by the name of Otto Von Bismarck. Much to the Wanderer's surprise Bismarck is immortal like the other nations but has no idea of his own origins. Bismarck does prove to be a shrewd negotiator by getting the Wanderer to accept a peace treaty that keeps Germany from paying any reparations. Though this is mainly due to Germany needing those resources to rebuild and the Republic's rush to redeploy the troops from the German front to the Russian and Roman fronts.

 **1937 CE-** Despite the war life in the United Republic continues normally. This is evident with the completion of the Great Opera House in Delta City. In Republic City the Wanderer commissions the creation of a special defense division after getting reports of Roman spies trying to hack into Republic systems. Called the Great Firewall of the Republic by many its implementation makes it next to impossible to spy in Republic cities.

 **1940 CE-** The United Republic drops a nuclear bomb on Ravenna. This scares Caesar enough that he goes to the negotiation table. St. Petersburg will be returned to Russia. Rome and Russia are to pay reparations for starting the war.

 **1941 CE-** Fearing the other nations are getting too close to the Republic's tech level the Senate allows private research companies with government funding but all technologies produced belong to the Republic Military and cannot enter the civilian market unless permission is given. Despite these rules two large science companies open. Aperture Science in Delta City and Black Mesa in Los Santos.

 **1950 CE-** The CN Tower is built in Steelport.

 **1955 CE-** The United Republic lands a man on the moon.

 **1960 CE-** Dreams of an extragalactic colony causes the Wanderer to shift more funding towards space exploration.

 **1962 CE-** Black Mesa perfects energy weaponry. The Blaster isn't ready for mass production so it's only given to Special Forces.

 **1963 CE-** Not wanting to be outdone Aperture Science creates robotic servants able to be owned by the common man. By the end of the year at least 25% of private citizens owns a robot.

 **1969 CE-** The United Republic builds a large space station in Earth's orbit and too the surprise of the other nations allows them access. This International Space Station pushes the other nation's technology forward by leaps and bounds but it is still nowhere near the Republic's.

 **1972 CE-** The United Republic lands on Mars.

 **1973 CE-** In a closed meeting the Wanderer reveals to the other nations what astronauts found on Mars. Alien ruins from a species called the Protheans. The Wanderer proposes the creation of an organization dedicated to defending Earth from extraterrestrial threats. After some discussion the nations of Earth sign the XCOM Charter. The XCOM Organization will be based and supplied by the Republic but answers to a council consisting of all the world leaders.

 **1984 CE-** Aperture shows off its newest creation: Artificial Intelligence. The AI inhabits a robot body and is not self-aware. The AI gains knowledge at a rapid rate.

 **1985 CE-** While being shown to the Wanderer and the Senate the AI asks "Do I have a soul?" While everyone else is shocked into silence the Wanderer responds with "If you can ask that question then you do."

 **1988 CE-** The Synthetic Rights Bill is signed into law. It states "Any and All Non-Organic Beings that are classified as Self Aware are given the rights accorded to any organic human."

 **1995 CE-** The number of 'Synthetic Humans' is recorded at 100,000 at the latest census. The First AI who goes by the name Gladys has herself baptized into the Protestant religion who up until that point didn't know what to think about them. It is eventually decided that despite being made by the hands of man they are still children of God.

 **January 1, 2000 CE-** People all across the word reflect on the past 2000 years. None more so than the immortal world leaders. Despite their many differences and past scuffles they agree to let bygones be bygones and work towards a bright future not only for their people but humanity as a whole. They rename the League of Nations into the United Nations to symbolize their new relationship.

 **2010 CE-** A colony is placed on Mars under the authority of the United Nations. Other nations found their own colonies but the city of Unity remains the largest.

 **2025 CE-** A joint project between Aperture Science and Black Mesa creates a method of Faster than Light space travel. The Hyperdrive allows humanity to found colonies outside their solar system.

 **2030 CE-** The first extrasolar colony is founded by Rome with help from the Republic. Terra Nova becomes the de facto Roman Capital despite the world leaders assuring their people they won't abandon Earth for the stars. That still doesn't stop Caesar from building a summer home equipped with fully staffed administration facilities on Terra Nova.

 **2050 CE-** Miners on Charon discover that the moon is really an alien device encased in ice. Scientists eagerly flock to the device but are dismayed to find it destroyed in an unusable state. Evidence points to it being deliberately destroyed most likely by the Protheans. Over the years similar devices are found all around human space but all of them are destroyed. In unrelated news XCOM gets a boost in funding.

 **2100 CE-** Humanity now has a two dozen colony worlds. Largest of which is the Republic's Eden Prime with a population over 2 billion.

 **2157 CE-** The United Republic Space Force gets a distress signal from the Hanoian colony world of Vietnam. A republic survey vessel was fired upon by an alien race. The ships managed to get away and flee to Vietnam. The colony is currently under siege and requests support. The URSF sends the 5th Fleet backed up by the United Nations Space Force 1st Peacekeeping Fleet and the entirety of the XCOM Fleet.

* * *

" _My Fellow Republicans. We. Are. At. War. I have just received word that a survey fleet was fired upon by an alien species. Not only that but they have laid siege to the Hanoi colony of Vietnam. The Senate has given me full emergency powers to teach this species the consequences of attacking the Republic and her allies. I don't know if they understand the concept of fear but they will know it. This I swear to you. They will know it._

 **Excerpt from the Wanderer's We Are At War Speech.**

 **October 24, 2157**

 **Republic City, Republic State, Earth**

 **AN: I just made a quick edit fixing some mistakes that I missed. I plan on having a chapter uploaded maybe by the end of the day. It's more or less ready. I just need to look over it one final time. Bear in mind that it's a Codex chapter or in this case a Civilopedia Chapter. I would like to point out some of the out of place things like Aperture Science and Black Mesa are from some mods I use. The Civilopedia chapter will also mention some mods that I failed to mention in timeline.**


	2. Civilopedia 1

**AN: Here is the first Civilopedia Chapter. I'll post one of these if I need to dump off some EXPOSITION! On this particular chapter I'll go into detail about some things like the Republic's religion, wonders, great works, that sort of thing. So let's get on with it shall we?**

* * *

 **Protestantism**

 **Pantheon Belief-** Earth Mother

 **Founder Belief-** Church Property

 **Follower Belief-** Cathedrals and Choral Music

 **Enhancer Belief-** Religious Texts

 **Reformation Belief-** To the Glory of God

* * *

 **Wonders**

 **Republic City**

Great Library

Parthenon

Colossus

Sistine Chapel

Oxford University

Smithsonian Institute (Mod)

Great Firewall

XCOM Headquarters (Mod)

 **Liberty City**

National College

Notre Dame

Globe Theater

Uffizi

Statue of Liberty

Broadway

 **Los Santos**

Hagia Sofia

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Louvre

Area 51 (Mod)

Black Mesa (Mod)

Hermitage

 **Delta City**

Eiffel Tower

Sydney Opera House

Aperture Science (Mod)

 **Steelport**

Christ the Redeemer

CN Tower

* * *

 **Great Works in possession of United Republic**

 **Writing**

Aesop – Fables (Carthage)

Dante Alighieri - The Divine Comedy

Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice

L. Frank Baum - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol

Alexandre Dumas - Les Trois Mousquetaires (Russia)

Homer – Odyssey (Rome)

Rudyard Kipling - Barrack Room Ballads

Herman Melville - Moby Dick (Nazi Germany)

Edgar Allan Poe - The Raven

Mary Shelley – Frankenstein (Nazi Germany)

Jules Verne - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Russia)

H. G. Wells - The Time Machine

 **Art**

Lawrence Alma-Tadema - Phidias Showing the Frieze of the Parthenon to his Friends

Sandro Botticelli - The Birth of Venus (Rome)

Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Tower of Babel (Carthage)

Michelangelo Buonarroti - God Creating Adam

Samuel F. B. Morse - Gallery of the Louvre

Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa

Grant Wood - American Gothic

 **Music**

Johann Sebastian Bach - Brandenburg Concerto

Ludwig van Beethoven - Fifth Symphony

Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 5

William Byrd - Agnus Dei

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

Franz Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Modest Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain

Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture

Richard Wagner - Die Walkure

* * *

 **Completed Social Policies**

Liberty

Aesthetics

Rationalism

Patronage

Exploration

Piety

* * *

 **States of the Republic**

Republic State (Republic City)

Liberty State (Liberty City)

San Andreas (Los Santos)

Delta State (Delta City)

Stilwater State (Stilwater)

Luna State (City of Luna)

Mars State (Eos)

Eden Prime (Columbia)

Mindor (Dakota City)

Arcturus Station

Freedom's Progress

Horizon (New Liberty)

Numerous planets and stations have applied for statehood but have been denied due to small size/population and/or lack of infrastructure.

* * *

 **Government Structure**

 **President for Eternity-** Wanderer

 **Senate-** 24 Senators (Two from each State)

 **Supreme Court-** 9 Justices (3 elected by Popular vote, 3 appointed by Senate, 3 appointed by Wanderer)

* * *

 **AN: If you have any questions PM me. I'll try to get to you as soon as possible.**


	3. Chapter 2

**For The Republic**

 _Fighting the enemy isn't the way to win a war. You need to make sure to scare the fucking hell out of them so they won't even think about ever pissing you off again._

General Patton, United Republic Ground Forces, 1940

 _My God… What have we done?_

Unknown crewmember of B-29 that dropped Atom Bomb on Ravenna

 _The United Republic doesn't fight like other people on the planet. Instead of a straight up fight they prefer to bleed their enemy dry from afar until there is nothing left but a dried up husk and when the coast is clear they will then precede to beat that husk relentlessly and without mercy. It is shocking to some to think that the peaceful fun loving republicans the world has known can become such a monster in war time. A similar beast exists in all humans. The republican's is just bigger and well-hidden…_

Vladimir Chernovtsy, _Military and Psychology_

 **FTR**

"So Tom what do you see?"

Corporal Thomas Shepard looked through his binoculars from his squad's hilltop vantage point at the alien convoy moving towards the city of Saigon. A few columns of infantry and armored vehicles marched down the streets like they owned the place. The range of his binoculars let him see everything in clear detail. The no doubt smug expressions of the aliens faces as they moved towards the city. The terror on the faces of families living on the outskirts as they were forced from their homes and the utter horror of those that were shot when they refused or fought back.

"It isn't good." Said Shepard as he handed the binoculars to his sergeant.

Sergeant Rick Harris looked through the binoculars and his mouth became a snarl as he gazed at the scene below. "Those fuckers." He said with as much venom as he could muster.

"That just ain't right." Said Sniper Corporal Ellis Hale

"What kind of military does that?" asked Shepard

"The kind that doesn't give a shit about the people their fighting." Said Harris

"We're gonna make em pay for it. Right sir?" said the squad's Medic Private Lyle McCoy.

"I'm more worried about the Hanoians." Harris said simply as he handed Shepard his binoculars back.

The entire squad shuddered at that. The Republic's retaliation will no doubt be swift and brutal but the Hanoians? They were a warrior people but even they understood the difference between soldiers and civilians. To see an army completely disregard that may very well turn the Hanoians and these aliens into permanent enemies. Treaties that go back thousands of years make it so that if you are an enemy of Hanoi you are an enemy of the Republic.

"We scouted out the enemy's numbers so let's get back to base." Said Harris. "Move Out!"

Harris and the squad made their way through the abandoned villages and farms around Saigon. They were headed back to the Vietnam Militia HQ right in the center of Saigon under the command of General Ho Chi Minh who was advised by the Republic Base Commander, Colonel Williams.

The Republic only operated a small base on Vietnam and in the event of an attack the base and all of its personal/equipment was to be placed under the command of the current head of Vietnam's militia until the Republic military comes in to relieve them. This was done with little difficultly since the Republic and Saigon have used the same rank structure for thousands of years.

General Minh's plan was to turn Saigon into a fortress so the aliens would get bogged down in hopeless urban fighting after they get softened up by the many traps scattered around the city outskirts. By the time they make any real progress the fleet currently on its way would have blown theirs to pieces. They wouldn't have to worry about civilians since they're currently hiding in bunkers built deep deep under the city. The things were designed to keep a large population alive for at least 10 years so no worries there.

After getting stocked up for an extended mission and filling up their stomachs with warm food from the mess hall the squad returned to battle. Their mission was to observe as the aliens got torn apart by the traps and report on their progress. If there were stranglers then they were given the green light to pick them off with suppressed weaponry.

As Shepard gazed through his binoculars he grimly noted that the Hanoians can make a good trap. An entire alien squad which was advancing down the street of an abandoned village just fell into a pit filled with what the Hanoians called punji stakes. The pit was only about 3 feet deep and filled with simple sharpened bamboo stakes but by God it was effective! He heard the Hanoians even dipped the stake in feces so if by chance the soldier survived then they would get a deadly infection.

The aliens were visibly shaken at the sight and Shepard could swear one off them might have puked. One of them, most likely their commander, restored order quickly and ordered his troops to search the houses. Phase 2 was in motion.

An explosion rocked the village. One of the houses erupted in a ball of fire and shrapnel. Before the aliens had time to fully react to the first fireball a second and third appeared around town. The Alien Commander quickly surmised that the buildings were wired and ordered his troops into the town square. It activated some type of holographic device on its arm and spoke at length into it. Not to long after an extra platoon of alien soldiers, armored vehicles and even a gunship arrived on the scene along with a team of heavily armored aliens that might be a bomb squad. This was proceeding exactly the way Command wanted so it must be time to tell them.

"Command" said Harris as he radioed in. "This is Little Birdy."

"Roger, Little Birdy. This is Command. What do you have to tell us?"

"Enemy has halted in Sector 11-5 and has called in reinforcements. Requesting Permission to begin Phase 3."

"Permission Granted Little Birdy. Show them your talons. Over and Out."

Sergeant Harris then turned towards Ellis. "Hit it."

A malicious grin crossed Ellis face as he pressed down on the detonator he'd been holding. "Burn in Hell you sonsabitches."

In almost an instant the entire town was a gigantic fireball which destroyed everything in its path. The gunship tried to escape but it too was caught in the blast so many others. Soon dazed and heavily burned aliens stumbled out of the flames. The squad was under orders to leave no survivors in these attacks.

Shepard wondered if the alien fleet could see the huge inferno which used to be a 100 or so of their troops. The alien fleet couldn't see the fireball but they most certainly heard about it and unfortunately for them this wouldn't be the only time they would hear about an abandoned town exploding today. Eventually the aliens stopped going into abandoned towns and villages.

The aliens then started coming across small farming or fishing communities still with their citizens but upon closer inspection these were just plain clothes Hanoian Commandos known as the Viet Cong who specialize in Guerilla Warfare. After losing to many troops to these commandos the aliens stopped going into the towns and villages period preferring surround them and send in robots. To bad half the bombs were manually activated by a detonator...

* * *

This engagement was not going the way the turians wanted it. These aliens didn't fight in any way their used to and they are having serious trouble countering it. Turians were trained since they were 15 to fight a certain way and that they were invincible. In the week since they've been on this planet this 'upstart' species has completely deconstructed everything they knew about warfare. Not only that but they can't counter it since the Hierarchy frowns upon the 'unorthodox'. Anything seen as Un-Turian was promptly thrown out the airlock especially changes to the military structure that has defended all civilized space for centuries.

Turians were trained to advance slowly and brutally forward forming an invincible wall that no one could defeat head on. The aliens showed that if you couldn't knock down a wall with one big blow then you do so with smaller blows. Entire squads would be wiped out without warning and by the time their comrades would figure out the direction the shots came from the alien soldiers would be long gone. This continued until the 'invincible turian wall' that was feared by other species in the galaxy had lost a full quarter of their number and they haven't even seen the enemy yet.

Turians were trained to secure all towns and cities. The planet had only one major city and from what orbital surveys have shown it's a well-stocked fortress. All of the towns were either rigged with explosives or filled with guerillas lying in wait. General Desolas would like nothing more than to destroy the settlements from orbit but that would have been against the Citadel Conventions due to the large amounts of damage mass accelerators could do to a garden world besides Admiral Veralia would never let him get away with something like that. So they had to clear them out the old fashioned way.

Turians do not distinguish soldiers from civilians due to how ingrained the military is in their society. This has led to them butting heads with the Asari quite a few times. Standard Procedure dictates that all enemy non-combatants are to be removed from their dwellings to secure holding facilities. Any that resist must be terminated to keep them from fighting Turian forces. This species must be somewhat like the Krogan since at least 60% of them resist and must be shot. The remaining 40% from the day they enter the camps do everything in their power to disrupt turian activities somehow. They refuse to speak to linguists or camp personnel. They are constantly aloof, refuse to even look in a Turian's general direction for too long and those that do are near constantly glaring.

The few prisoners they captured haven't said much. When they do say something it is usually their names followed by a string of gibberish over and over again until whoever is questioning them stops. There is also that look they have. If their facial expressions are similar to Asari then that look they all share is both smug and amused. Like they find this whole invasion a joke and only they know the punchline.

Though the Turians weren't allowed to call it an invasion. It was a 'Peacekeeping Action' to enforce the law against opening mass relays. A good portion of the fleet agreed that the aliens never really did anything wrong. They were never a signatory of the Citadel Conventions so that had no obligations to follow its laws and that's if they even knew about it. The truth about this is that General Desolas just wants to increase his prestige by turning a group of primitives into the newest Hierarchy client race. Desolas (and that brother of his) are some of the densest turians in the galaxy. He thinks that this is this species' homeworld but if he looked closer he'd see things aren't as they seem.

This planet on has a few major cities and there is no heavy industry required for a spacefaring species to be seen. The estimated population for this world is around 50 million. They should be in the billions if this was their homeworld then again they have no idea how long this species lives and how quickly they breed. Another was that the ships the patrol group met earlier were nowhere to be seen. That should have raised some alarms in Desolas' head but he was too focused on the matter at hand.

Desolas was prepping for an all-out assault on the biggest city on the planet intent on taking it hoping it will break the alien's will. They haven't even entered formal combat with the aliens and half their number was dead or dying from guerrilla attacks and traps. The turian soldiers spearheading the assault could only pray to the spirits that these aliens weren't as skilled in urban combat as they were in guerrilla warfare.

* * *

 **Unique Abilities for the Human Nations**

 **Holy Empire of Rome (The Glory of Rome)-** All colonies/cities get a 25% production bonus for buildings that are already constructed in Rome proper on Earth. (Rome already has built everything it can build so it can start colonies with basic buildings fairly quickly.)

 **Federal Republic of Germany (Furor Teutonicus)-** 25% reduced maintenance for military units. Defeated Pirates/Slavers/and Mercenaries have a 50% chance of joining their side. (Instead of prison sentences or execution Germany operates a Penal Battalion called Strafbattalion. After a certain number of years of good service depending on the crime the soldier is released and with German citizenship.)

 **United Socialist State of Russia (Galactic Riches)-** Strategic Resources provide +1 production and double Platinum, Iridium and Element Zero resources. (Russia is the only nation that has better mining techniques than the Quarians allowing them mine large amounts of resources for trade or domestic use.)

 **Republic of Carthage (Phoenician Heritage)-** All new colonies receive a free spaceport. Carthaginian soldiers can cross mountains like it's an open terrain tile and fortify on them. (Carthaginian Colonial Procedure requires that a proper spaceport is built before any settlement can begin. So unlike the other nations they can land large scale ships on their colonies. Over the centuries they've also manage to perfect mountain combat and remains the only nation that can set up artillery positions or infantry bases in the most inhospitable mountain ranges.)

 **United Republic of States (Manifest Destiny)-** The Republic has the most advanced sensors in the galaxy allowing them to 'see' a quarter of a star system. The Republic can purchase or acquire colonies at reduced cost. (The Republic can expand like crazy if they wanted but that isn't the way the Republic does things. The Republic looks at all the territory it can get and picks the best spots based on resources or tactical value. They don't settle on every piece of available land. I'm looking at you Hitler.)

 **% &ire of N*zi G^*%$($$*** (Transmission Interrupted.)

* * *

 **AN: What the hell?! What's with that last entry?! Could it be...? No. That can't be possible. Wait a sec everyone I need to look into this. Oh and before I forget. Here is a little game.**

 **The United Republic has a weapon up its sleeves that could bring the Council to its knees. You can only get it if you complete the Patronage tree (which the Republic has) and even then you might rarely get it but when you do… OH MAN… The entire course of the game could be changed by it if used correctly.**


	4. Civilopedia 2

**For The Republic**

* * *

 **United Republic Military**

 **Republic Weaponry-** Like most human nations the United Republic still uses bullet based weaponry though after the Vietnam War the Republic reversed engineered discarded Turian weaponry and now all of its infantry weapons is a mix of Republic and Mass Effect technology. The Republic no longer has to worry about gunpowder so all of it bullets are essentially metal slugs fired off through the use of mass accelerators. Despite having mastered the creation of handheld energy weaponry it is not mass production friendly with each weapon having to partly be made by hand so only the most elite troops get access to them.

* * *

 **United Republic Ground Forces-** The United Republic Ground Forces or URGF is the United Republic's main military force. The URGF that can trace their roots back to the spear wielding warriors that defended the tribe that would one day become the United Republic. Today the URGF handles all large scale ground combat operations from colonial defense to planetary campaigns.

 **Standard URGF Weaponry**

M-16 Assault Rifle

M-4 Carbine

R-91 Assault Rifle

M1A1 Thompson submachine gun

M1014 Shotgun

M249 SAW

M1911 Pistol

Barrett M82 Sniper Rifle

M72 LAW

* * *

 **United Republic National Guard-** On larger colonies and the Earth based states instead of a URGF garrison there is a dedicated National Guard. The URNG defends Republic territory from invaders and are called up in events of severe civil disturbance like the Great Delta City Riot. The URNG has to make due with more antiquated weaponry but with the advent of miniature mass accelerators built into the gun the old style weapons of the National Guard are in some cases just as powerful as the more modern weapons.

 **Standard URNG Weaponry**

R-91 Assault Rifle

M-14 Battle Rifle

M870 Shotgun

M1A1 Thompson submachine gun

M60 GPMG

M1918 Automatic Rifle

M1911 Pistol

Bazooka

Barret M82 Sniper Rifle

* * *

 **Republic Foreign Legion-** The RFL was formed to allow hopeful immigrants to earn their citizenship through military service. Any soldier that serves for 5 years will be awarded citizenship. However the RFL runs extensive background checks on applicants to weed out spies and criminals trying to escape justice. The RFL's motto _'Service Guarantees Citizenship'_ has become a pop culture icon and was used in the famous 21st Century Scfi hit _Starship Troopers._

 **Standard RFL Weaponry**

Same as URGF

* * *

 **United Republic Rangers-** The Rangers are some of the most elite soldiers in the United Republic. When a soldier shows exceptional skill in they are approached for Ranger training. The training is hard and brutal with a 90% dropout rate and with numerous casualties. Comparable to Asari Commandos and Spectres in their skill the Rangers are to be met with caution. Rangers also have access to basic energy based weaponry and the instantly recognizable Ranger Armor with its gas mask like helmet and trenchcoat.

NOTE: The United Republic Marine Corps was absorbed into the United Republic Rangers shortly after Second World War.

 **Standard Ranger Weaponry**

Ranger Armor

M-16 Assault Rifle

XM8 Carbine

M1A1 Thompson submachine gun

Wattz 1000 Light Laser Pistol

Wattz 2000 Light Laser Rifle

* * *

 **United Republic Heavy Corps-** The Heavy Corp or Heavies are a technically an armored division but instead of tanks they use powered infantry armor alongside assault walkers. The United Republic is the only human nation that can manufacture power armor but it's expensive and very tricky to make. As a result the Heavy Corps is very small with less than 100,000 members and many are without armor. The heavy's have access to the Republic's more powerful laser based weapons along with some blaster weapons.

 **Standard Heavy Weaponry**

M249 SAW

M134 Minigun

AER12 Heavy Laser Rifle

AEP7 Heavy Laser Pistol

Gatling Laser

DC-15A Blaster Rifle

DC-15S Blaster Carbine

T-45D Light Power Armor

T-51B Medium Power Armor (Limited Number)

Armored Assault Walker

* * *

 **Extraterrestrial Combat Force (XCOM)-** XCOM is an international organization created to protect humanity from extraterrestrial threats. They are given the most advanced technology humanity has (most of which comes from the Republic) to do their duty. XCOM is usually attacking pirates/slavers and capturing snooping STG, Spectres, and Shadow Broker agents. XCOM makes it a principle to genetically lock most of its technology. Anything non-human that attempts to take a suit of power armor or energy weapon will cause its power cells to overload and trigger and explosion and any human not authorized to handle that equipment will trigger explosion if they continue to do so.

 **Standard XCOM Weaponry**

T-45D Light Power Armor

T-51B Medium Power Armor

T-60 Heavy Power Armor

E-11 Blaster Carbine

DC-15A Blaster Rifle

DC-15S Blaster Carbine

P-94 Plasma Rifle

P-94 Plasma Caster

P-77 Plasma Carbine

Gauss Rifle

* * *

 **United Republic Black Operations Group-** The Black Operations Group or Black Ops are the United Republic's espionage and counter-espionage group. Not much is known about them except that they've been around since the Renaissance and had a hand in the creation of the Great Firewall. Known Operatives include… mdksndsndjanf.

UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY DETECTED! SHUTTING DOWN!

* * *

 **AN: I'm going to admit it now. Yes a lot of the stuff is above is from Fallout. My username is Wanderer101 and my profile picture is that of a Ranger. It's not like it's out of nowhere besides there is a good reason for all the Fallout tech. It's cool and it's something I know very well and can explain/integrate pretty easily. Star Wars blasters for very much the same reason and besides when people think of energy weapons Star Wars is usually the first to come to mind.**

 **A little background on the Rangers. Yes they are inspired by the NCR Rangers from Fallout but they are inspired partly by Civ 5 as well. When you explore an ancient ruin with a scout there is a chance that scout will be upgraded into an archer but will still keep its scout abilities. I tend to name these units Rangers due to their combat skill and ability to flow through the roughest terrain. They remain formidable units well into late game also. Though with Gods and Kings and Brave New World they become Gatling Guns/Machine Guns/Bazookas in the Late Game not Infantry.**


	5. Chapter 3

**For The Republic**

 _They have us surrounded? Those poor bastards!_

Colonel Franklin Williams during Siege of Saigon

" _I am a Ranger. To defend my nation I have sworn. I am a Ranger. Enemies of the Republic consider yourself warned."_

The Ranger's Warning

* * *

The thundering of artillery fire sounded throughout the streets of Saigon. The city above was an unrecognizable warzone. The attacking aliens learning their lesson from the outskirts would call in artillery bombardments and airstrikes anywhere they got an inkling of enemy presence. The bunker or Vault the citizens and soldiers of Vietnam were currently hiding in was luckily built to the best construction standards the Republic has.

After the Second World War the Wanderer feared Germany, Russia, or Rome would build nuclear weapons and use them on the Republic. Project Safehouse was started to address those fears. In the United Republic and allied city-states large state-of-the-art bunkers called Vaults would be built and stocked in the event of nuclear war. They were created to hold a large population for an indefinite timespan so theoretically the populace could remain inside forever if they didn't run into any problems like water purification/reactor failure. One guy actually wanted to turn the Vaults into a social experiment of some kind but he was promptly demoted and told to get a conscience. The Vault was the safest place on Vietnam and Harris' squad was about to leave it.

The enemy was swarming around the city and the squad was tasked with keeping them busy. The relief fleet was only hours away and the aliens needed to be distracted until then. If they weren't then there was a chance they could find one of the Vault entrances. Nearby was a small office building with a great view of an adjacent square. The enemy was sighted in this section of the city yet but is was best to be on the safe side. The squad moved slowly and made sure each floor of the 3 story office building was clear. When they got to the top floor they were surprised to see someone was already there. At the window wielding a Barret 50 caliber sniper rifle was a Ranger. The Ranger was already overlooking the square and didn't react to their presence. After a while the Ranger said "You guys should try being quieter. With all the noise you were making an enemy would have already set up several traps and ambushes before you got to the second floor."

"Just what are you trying to say?!" said Ellis

"I meant no offense." Said the Ranger still looking through the scope of his rifle. "I meant it as a bit of constructive criticism not an insult. Besides its best you learn that lesson now and not in a combat zone."

Ellis looked like he was going to say something else but Harris put and hand on his shoulder. Harris the turned to the Ranger and said "It's good we at least got help in keeping this square secure. With all of us we definitely take out any enemy squads that come this way."

It was then then the Ranger finally turned to face them. His face was completely obscured by the iconic helmets rangers are known for. It is said those helmets contained Night Vision, Thermal Vision and every other type of vision there was. "That might be a problem." Said the Ranger standing up.

"What do you mean?" asked Harris

"A couple of other Rangers further up the road radioed me that a large column of enemy troops are fighting their way to this location. Last count puts them at a company level strength along with a couple of armored vehicles."

"Damn! We can't handle that kind of force! We're gonna have to pull out."

"We can't do that sergeant. This square is more important than you think."

The Ranger then pointed out the window to another corner of the square. There was a ramp leading underground and above was a sign in Hanoian and English. In English it read Diamond Plaza Vault Entrance.

"What the hell!" said Harris "That was supposed to be sealed!"

"I was my mission to destroy that entrance but the charges were duds. I decided to protect the entrance until reinforcements arrive."

"How long do we have to hold out and how many are coming?"

"We have to hold out an hour or two at most so command can rally the necessary forces. We'll be relieved by a full company and a couple of Heavies. With their help we can hold the area until the relief fleet gets here."

The squad perked up at the mention of heavies. Harris then voiced what the squad was thinking "What the hells are Heavies doing here on Vietnam?"

"The Hanoians have been requesting that the Republic help shore up its defenses. Hanoi has poured everything it can into this colony. Vietnam is the seat of its power and without it they'll just be a tiny city-state relying on the Republic for everything. So the Pentagon sent a Heavy Squad to help with defense."

"And just what is the plan?"

"We're going to have to spread the squad out. Hit them from as many directions as possible. Should keep them confused and make them think they're fighting a much larger force. I have a small stock of ammo and weapons that should give us an edge."

"Hold out for two hours against a numerically superior armored supported alien force while waiting for reinforcements? Well hell. Sign us up."

* * *

"Damn these primitives! We should just bomb them from orbit!" yelled Desolas as he got word of the latest setbacks.

"Using Mass Accelerators on a habitable garden world is against Council Law…sir" said Captain Gaius Rurik adding the Sir at the end just in time because an unfortunate ensign questioned the legitimacy of this invasion and Desolas had him sent to the brig for 'insubordination' and of 'improper respect towards a superior'.

In other militaries an Admiral is not in charge of Army forces and a General is not in charge of navy forces. In the Hierarchy however this is normal. The change came about during the Krogan Rebellions in which turian forces of different branches would find themselves stranded so they would unite under one singular commander of the highest rank regardless of branch. Some Salarians hypothesized this was due to the turian's ancestors being pack hunters so their descendants would always gravitate towards the strongest or most experienced to lead them. So that meant Desolas outranked Rurik which is lucky for him since if he had his way Desolas would have been thrown in the brig a long time ago.

He had the fleet fire upon a species whose only crime was curiosity. True they might have opened a mass relay but they weren't a member of the Citadel meaning they weren't bound by the law. Not only that but they didn't even know it existed! They were supposed to be supporting another fleet attacking a pirate base. The other fleet would be able to take the base without their support but not without some casualties. When this is over Desolas would most likely be facing a very long prison term for deserting his post and purposefully botching a first contact scenario. Not to mention his family will have a black mark that will last centuries. He could only hope this species wouldn't hold too much of a grudge after this. If peace was even possible by this point…

Desolas attacked the city in a typical fashion. Infantry supported by armor units and gunships. Artillery would shell sections of the city in which enemy forces were spotted and then ground forces would be sent in to mop up. Unfortunately this plan had many flaws. The constant shelling was reducing the city to rubble and Rurik knew this was going to haunt the Hierarchy later. The enemy also wisely Rurik thought never attack Turian troops in groups larger than 10. They would open fire on a column, kill a few soldiers, and retreat before they can take any losses of their own. They would then keep this up attacking the convoy at irregular intervals and rigging traps along their route. This left the turians on the ground to become increasingly paranoid about when and where they'd be attacked. One platoon actually opened fire on an empty building after they got startled by a falling piece of rubble. Rurik knew a lot of troops would have PTSD when this was over.

This conflict had to end before it got worse. Rurik was trying to come up with some way to relieve Desolas of command. The problem was he hadn't actually done anything illegal yet. Anyone with common sense would know these aliens weren't bound by Council Law. Unfortunately the law wasn't written with Non-Citadel species in mind. Some arrogant Asari probably thought any species advanced enough to use Mass Relays would follow Council Law regardless of membership. In that idiot Asari's defense most non-citadel species like the Quarians or Terminus Systems still followed the law. Though this was mostly out of fear of the unknown and unwillingness to bring the Council down on them. The 'Abandoning his post' and 'getting scores of good turians killed in a personal matter' weren't enough to convict him until the Hierarchy, specifically someone of superior rank, actually called him out on it. In his free time Rurik poured over Hierarchy Regulations trying to find…something to relieve Desolas of command before this descended into a war that will shake the very core of the galaxy.

An alarm rang out signaling an incoming transmission from the ground. Some of the troops found an entrance to what is most likely an underground complex defended by enemy forces. They were being fired upon from multiple sides so they guess around a platoon worth of enemy soldiers. As soon as he got the message a malicious grin crossed Desolas' face.

"So that's where they've been hiding." He said before turning to an ensign. "Send the word to all ground forces. Reroute troops to that position. Once we take the entrance anyone in that bunker that does not surrender will be put down."

"But sir. That bunker is most likely filled with nothing but civilians." Said Rurik dreading Desolas' response.

"This species is obviously as vicious as the Krogan. The 'civilians' are just as big as a threat. Any and all of these aliens will be treated as combatants whether armed or unarmed. Make sure this is sent to the troops."

* * *

"Shit! Medic!" yelled Ellis as he clutched the bleeding wound on his side.

McCoy rushed over and injected him with a pain killer. "Hold still! I'm trying to heal you!" said McCoy as he got out a small bundle bandages.

"Bandages?!" yelled Ellis "What is this the 19th Century?! Don't you have any Stims or Medi-gel?!"

"I only have a few left since you guys insist on getting shot! It's not being used until one of you is close to dying! No hold still!"

"It's not our fault every time we poke our heads out a platoon worth of bullets comes flyin through the windows! Ain't that right Shepard?!"

"Less talk more shooting!" yelled back Shepard as he fired an assault rifle burst out a nearby window.

Harris and the Ranger were in a building on the opposite side of the square. Shepard was put in charge of Ellis and McCoy with orders to shoot anyone heading towards the Vault entrance. The aliens probably thought the entrance was to a subway but it wasn't long before the jig was up. Large amounts of alien soldiers and armored vehicles poured into the area letting the squad know this was probably the final move of the Siege of Saigon. It was only by luck the Ranger managed to raid the Vault Armory before coming up here. The LAWs and Barrets let them dispatch any vehicles. The extra ammunition was a most welcome blessing since a half hour into the fight it was starting to run low. Thankfully Vault Security had reinforced their side of the Vault Entrance.

"Shepard!" came Harris voice through the comlink. "We got bad news. The Heavies are pinned by a gunship a block from here due south and are requesting assistance. Take a LAW and help them out. We'll cover you."

"Roger!" said Shepard

Shepard grabbed a LAW and stepped down the stairs. Ellis called out from behind him "Wait for the signal and head on out! You'll know when you see it."

Shepard put a fresh clip into his assault rifle and waited for the signal. After a few moments a huge explosion engulfed the square. That was probably the signal Ellis mentioned so Shepard took off down an alley unseen by the aliens who were too disoriented by the explosion. Shepard hurried to his objective and for a moment his mind wandered to just how did Ellis cause that explosion since they didn't have anything with that kind of power.

Up ahead he saw a squad of aliens taking potshots at someone from behind a small wall. One of the aliens was hit by a literal swarm of bullets that would have left most a walking pile of holed cheese but when Shepard saw a flare of blue he swore to himself. The defenders of Vietnam learned the hard way that quite a few of the aliens had these type of personal shields. They were nicknamed 'Bullet Shields' by a lot of the troops due to them protecting their users from bullets or shrapnel but not energy based weaponry like the few laser weapons they were lucky to have. The shields seemed to shut down if hit with enough bullets so there was that. Shepard's measly M-4 had served him well the whole battle but it won't help him against these guys especially since they have shields. The lone grenade might get a couple of them but after that he was on his own.

The bullet swarm hitting the aliens seemed to get larger and larger until after a few short moments there was nothing but a pile of blue holed filled corpses. Well. Apparently they didn't need help. Shepard peeked around the corner but quickly retreated when a bullet impacted on the wall a couple of feet away.

"Identify yourself!" came a gruff voice

"Corporal Thomas Shepard! URGF Serial Number #11202007!"

"Come on in before someone spots ya!"

Shepard rounded the corner and in the alley before him were two heavy troopers in full power armor. Shepard wasn't by definition short. He stood at a reasonable 5'7 but the man in power armor was a whole head taller than him. If he was not mistaken the model they were wearing was T-45d which is one of the smaller simpler models. The Heavies were both packing miniguns that they wouldn't normally be able to carry if it wasn't for the strength boost the power armor gave them. One of the heavies was sitting on the ground as if he was injured. The standing heavy unclasped his helmet which hissed as the air escaped the pressurized environment. The man's face was heavily scarred telling stories of past battles.

"Captain Black of the Heavy Corps. Nice that you got here Corporal. We've ran into a problem. One of those alien fuckers managed to get a lucky rocket launcher hit in and wounded Lieutenant Isle over there." He said pointing in the direction of the wounded soldier. "He'll live but his leg is busted. You are going to have to wear his armor."

"What?! I don't know how to wear power armor and I heard the training is long and tedious."

"I'll let you in on a secret kid. It's kind of an exaggeration. The 'training' is mostly teaching us to handle the newfound strength and the armor's limits. The suits pretty much run themselves."

Even with that assurance Shepard still wasn't sure. He watched as the wounded soldier stood up and spread his arms. The back of the suit slid open and the soldier stepped out before collapsing on the ground in pain.

"You alright son?" said Captain Black in concern

"I'm ok sir. I'll lay low while you guys take care of business." Said Isle as he limped into a nearby house. "Oh yeah and don't scratch my armor."

* * *

Sergeant Harris and the Ranger had to retreat back to Ellis and McCoy's position once their ammunition ran dry. Unfortunately their ammo situation wasn't much better leaving each man with only a few clips each. The aliens having guessed their low ammo situation pressed their attacks. The cracks of gunfire in the square were interrupted by loud clanking noises echoed over the sounds of battle. From out of the smoke like two Gods of War were two soldiers in power armor. The power armored soldiers gazed at the alien invaders before them until one pointed at them and then drew its finger across its neck in a slashing motion. The afternoon sun glinting off the shining surface and miniguns barrels already rotating in preparation for the slaughter. The picturesque moment was interrupted however by Ellis yelling out "Oh My God will you guys stop showing off and help us already!?"

And with that the carnage began. The aliens were shocked at their appearance and armor but to their credit recovered fairly quickly. Shepard was getting shot at from so many directions it was like someone painted a target on his chest and there was a million dollar reward for the one who could hit it the most. The armor's auto targeting system informed him of a couple of aliens cowering behind a planter taking potshots at him. Shepard then pointed at them and watch as the planter was turned into a piece of hole-filled rumble. Shepard looked over to Captain Black and saw he wasn't even letting his finger off the trigger. Black was sweeping his miniguns across the square putting so much fire on the aliens the barrels were beginning to turn glow red from overheating. One of the aliens fired a rocket launcher at Black and watched in horror as Black just raised up his arm and let it explode harmlessly on him.

"I didn't know the armor could do that!" said Shepard through the comlink.

"It's best not to try. Stings like hell and the engies don't like it." Replied Black. "Say it drops the gauntlets lifespan by 30%"

The aliens seeing their attacks were useless against the armored soldiers began to retreat. An APC was providing cover fire for them. With a nod Shepard and Black walked over to the burnt out husk of a car and using their armor's strength picked it right up. They then tossed the car at the APC crippling it. The alien crew then climbed out of the burning wreck and ran off without a backwards glance.

"Ha Ha! Run you cowards run!" came Ellis' voice as the last aliens retreated from the square.

"Damn fine work there kid. Damn fine." Said the Ranger over the comlink "You ever think of joining the Rangers?"

"No Thanks. Ranger life isn't for me. My son on the other hand has already made up his mind to join the Rangers though. Could you maybe watch out for him Ranger…?"

"Anderson. Ranger Anderson. Don't worry I'll look out for him."

The conversation between Ranger Anderson and Shepard was interrupted by a message from command. "Attention all troops. This is Colonel Williams. Give yourselves a pat on the back. The relief fleet has arrived. I repeat the relief fleet has arrived. Let's hope they brought beer."

* * *

 **Civilopedia**

 **Power Amor-** Developed by the United Republic in the early 1990s Power Armor is one of the most powerful weapons at the Republic's disposal. A single power armored soldier has the combat capabilities of an entire company. Their strength is increased allowing them to carry weapons usually restricted to vehicles and can take large amounts of damage. This is offset however by the armor's expensive cost and manufacture. It takes an engineering team and entire 6 months to build a single suit of T-45d Power Armor and the more complicated models take even longer to construct. There are currently 3 models of Power Armor. T-45d, T-51b and T-60 though newer models are rumored to be in development for XCOM.

After the Vietnam War the other Human powers have implored that the Republic release T-45d for at least for UN use. It is unknown if the talks are going to go anywhere.

* * *

 **AN: Due to reader reviews (some less polite than others…) I am going to stop with the big Civilopedia Chapters… unless it's a pretty big info dump. That's why I have those. If I put that information at the end of a regular chapter there would be more civilopedia than chapter. That's why I mark the Civilopedias differently than regular chapters so you can skip it if you want.**

 **Oh yeah and before I forget. The weapon I was talking about in the previous chapter is the Merchant of Venice. When you complete the Patronage Tree allied city-states will start gifting you great people. Under normal circumstances only the Venice civ can get MoVs but the now any civilization that completes the Patronage tree has a rare chance to receive them. The MoV's special ability allows the civilization to effectively 'buy out' a city-state allowing you to puppet/annex it. I haven't quite decided it yet to allow the Republic to buy out Illium during the Mass Effect 2 arc since technically Illium isn't an Asari world. They state this in the game so that means Illium is effectively a city-state making it a prime target. I might put it in a poll or something but we're a long way from the ME2 Arc. So until next time.**


	6. Chapter 4

**For The Republic**

* * *

"What do you mean they were pushed back?!" roared Desolas. "We sent in two entire companies plus armor support!"

Rurik completely unfazed by Desolas' yelling replied "Enemy resistance was much higher than expected. They encountered what was to be believed to be at least a platoon of enemy soldiers but only 5 were actually counted."

"The reports are exaggerated. There is no way 5 soldiers could hold off that many troops."

"I believed they were exaggerated at first but helmet cam footage has confirmed only five unique individuals. Near the end of the fight two new figures emerged wearing what can only be described as power armor."

"Power Armor is impossible! The amount of element zero required to power such a suit makes it so."

"If you recall sir, this species doesn't use element zero. They might have found an alternative way to create power armor."

"Another reason to bring this species under the Hierarchy" Desolas growled "We can't have primitives running around with advanced technology like that!"

A part of Rurik noted just how contradictory that statement was. If they were primitives then how could they develop what many Salarian and Asari scientist failed to do for centuries? Rurik's attention was drawn to Desolas who just received a message on his omni-tool. Desolas' expression was that of complete and total fury. It was as if he was possessed by malicious spirits.

"Target the city. Full power to the mass accelerator." Barked out Desolas.

The bridge was overcome by silence which was then broken by an ensign.

"But Sir, firing a mass accelerator at a garden world is against Council law…"

"That is an order!" yelled Desolas. "I am in command and any insubordination will be punished with a trip to the brig!"

Wincing at his outburst the bridge crew rushed to complete his order no matter how much they didn't like it. Rurik however was stunned. He didn't think Desolas would actually go this far. If Desolas destroyed the city then Rurik would finally have valid justification to relieve him of command. He didn't know how deep that bunker of theirs was but he doubted it would survive a direct 38 kiloton explosion. Rurik had to make a decision and as the techs began putting in the firing coordinates he knew he had to make it NOW.

"Belay that order!" yelled Rurik

"Rurik what do you think you are doing?!" asked Desolas

"Something I should have done a long time ago! Escort General Desolas to the brig."

"You'll regret this Rurik! I'll make sure you entire family suffers for this!" Desolas yelled as he was taken away by two guards.

"Send word down to the troops. Tell them to cease all combat operations." Hopefully there was still a chance he could salvage this. They would send word to the Citadel and they can send an Asari diplomat who would help them get across the language barrier. In normal circumstances the Asari won't meld with a new race until the race knew them well enough but this could be considered a special case.

"Sir! We are detecting multiple FTL signatures!" yelled an ensign.

Not too far from the planet hundreds of ships dropped out of FTL. The ships ranged from frigate to dreadnought size along with a couple that were beyond that. Rurik noted that even though some of the ships matched the design patterns of the ones they fired on days ago quite a few of the others had radically different styles. Was this species a member of a much larger alliance? If so then this just got a lot more complicated.

"Sir they're charging up their weapons!"

"All ships! Disable all non-life support systems! We need to show them we don't want to fight." Said Rurik.

The fleet having enough of this pointless invasion didn't hesitate to follow Rurik's command. After what seemed like an eternity the alien fleet began to power down their weapons. Rurik breathed out the breath he didn't even know he was holding in. The aliens understood they didn't want to fight anymore but they would understandably want answers. The language barrier still needed to be overcome however. Rurik did have a solution. Unlike Desolas he poured over both Hierarchy and Citadel First Contact Protocols. Sending a first contact packet would be a bit impractical in this situation. They both recommended the use of images and simple animated videos to convey meaning. A good as plan as any. All he need to do was find out the right way to animate "We're sorry for attacking you unprovoked. It was an accident."

* * *

They've been here for over a week now. Rurik was sure the Hierarchy was sending fleets to search for them now though it was going to take a while due to the vastness of space. Food was holding so no emergencies there. Progress was slow, the videos helped with the language barrier but it was tiring trying to find ways to animate various concepts without the possibility of misinterpretation. The humans, which was the race's name, were understanding at least as much as they could be considering the circumstances. They were quick to send a video telling him to move away from the planet or they'd be fired upon. They then sent another video telling them if they went towards the relay they would be fired upon. To back up their claim a fleet of ships were sent to guard it. They allowed them to send ships down to collect their surviving soldiers, wounded, and dead. Rurik was worried that the fleet's medical supplies might not be able to cater to the sheer number of wounded. The humans helped on that front much to his gratitude. A few days ago an unarmed ship with a bright red cross painted on its hull approached the fleet. The ship was loaded with what the humans called 'Meddi Jell'. The goop like substance sealed up wounds and had no adverse effects on their dextro amino chemistry. When… If, he corrected himself, the humans joined the Citadel this medicinal substance will net them a lot of points from the other races. Not to mention the other advanced pieces of technology he's seen. Handheld Energy Weaponry, Power Armor, and judging from the scans they did of the ships they found opening the relay they also found an alternative form of FTL. The humans had much to give to the galaxy if they joined the Council.

All Rurik and the rest of the fleet could do besides caring for the wounded was to wait. He sent a video over a day ago detailing, best as they could manage, how they were going to go through the relay and inform the Council and volunteering to escort them. They made sure to show images of the various Council species working together. He was waiting for the human's response and hoped it wouldn't be too long for them to have made their decision.

* * *

 **Orbit over Vietnam**

 **United Republic Space Force 5** **th** **Fleet**

 **Venator Class Capital Ship URS** _ **Defender**_

"I can't believe you are even considering accepting their proposal!" shouted Hanoian Delegate To Quan "Need I remind you these alien beasts attacked Vietnam unprovoked!"

Vice Admiral Steven Hackett showed no outward reaction to Delegate Quan's outburst. Personally he could see where he was coming from. Hackett would want to make friends with aliens if they attacked one of the Republic's colonies for no apparent reason.

"Delegate Quan I understand your frustration but I just got word from Earth that both The Wanderer and President Lanh have approved." Said Hackett "We are to go to the capital of these aliens to negotiate. If they don't then we'll it'll be an official declaration of war."

Delegate Quan was still fuming however so Hackett added "The Wanderer has instructed me to inform you that the Republic will make sure Hanoi greatly benefits from the peace settlement if things go smoothly."

Quan was still upset but the offer was good. The materials required to rebuild Vietnam would be substantial and having these aliens foot the bill would be a big help.

"When do we head out?" he asked

"Delegate Goyle arrived an hour ago. The techs have finished compiling the video showing we agree to their proposal. We should be heading out soon."

"What about the fleets?" he asked gesturing to the collection of ships outside the window.

"The XCOM Fleet will remain here to guard Vietnam. The UN Fleet will return to Earth to collect the world leaders."

"The World Leaders are coming?!"

"Yes. They'll do the actual negotiation. We're just laying down the framework."

"God save the aliens from that khốn lén lút Caesar." Joked Quan

"By the end of it Caesar would have negotiated the clothes off their backs!"

* * *

 **2 Days Later**

 **Sur'kesh**

 **STG Headquarters**

Director Nolu read the more recent reports of 'The Missing Fleet'. Fleet under command of Desolas Arterius disappeared over almost 2 weeks ago. The fleet was sighted leaving an originally dormant mass relay stealth ships were monitoring. Following them were ships of an unknown design. First Contact? Most likely. Ships don't match designs used by any species. Peaceful First Contact? Probable but unlikely. Turians know for solving problems with violence and Desolas even more so. Desolas infamous in Hierarchy for quick temper and low views on other species. Will most likely turn a potentially peaceful first contact scenario violent in an instant. Fleet is currently heading in the direction of the Citadel. Is fleet willingly leading them or is being forced to? Either way Council must be informed. The fleet will arrive at the Citadel in a day. Time to prepare for a peaceful first contact or judging from the ships a long hard war.

* * *

 **Civilopedia**

 **Venator Class Capital Ship**

 **Length:** 2,000 meters

 **Armament:** 10 Heavy Turbolaser Batteries, 1 Forward-facing Plasma Cannon, 80 point defense laser cannons, 4 proton torpedo tubes.

 **Compliment:** 30 F-170 Heavy Fighters, 50 F-44 Attack Fighters, 20 B-71 Bombers, and 50 Low Altitude Assault Transports.

 **Crew:** 5000 permeant crew, 5 AIs, and at least 5000 ground troops.

 **Description:** A much larger version of the Venator Attack Cruiser. The Venator Capital Ship much like its smaller cousin is designed to serve as both a battleship and a carrier. The sheer amount of firepower and fighters allows in to destroy any human or Council ship by itself even when outnumbered 10 to 1. The cost of building and maintaining such a ship is high however. The United Republic can only afford 3 with its current economy. The _Resolute, Justice,_ and _Defender_ are flagships of 1st, 3rd and 5th Fleets respectively.

 **AN: ...WHAT?! I like Venators...**


	7. Chapter 5

**For the Republic**

 _Si vis pacem, para bellum_

Roman Saying

 _If any foreign minister begins to defend to the death a 'peace conference', you can be sure his government has already placed its orders for new battleships and airplanes_

Premier Catherine on Roman delegates before outbreak of Second World War

 _You can get more of what you want with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word._

Al Capone, Steelport Chief of Police 1930

* * *

The 5th Fleet followed the aliens for the next couple of days. Using hyperspace they could have jump to and from the station a dozen times already. The reason they didn't was that the aliens haven't given them the coordinates for this Capital station of theirs. Which was understandable because for all the aliens knew we were going to just blow it up which Hackett was fairly ashamed to admit was an option. The other reason was these aliens seemed to be completely dependent on these prothean gates for travel. If that was true then if it did come to war then all they needed to do was destroy a few of them and the aliens would be effectively stranded. Though such a move would no doubt annoy the scientific community. Scientists from all nations were simply ecstatic over these gates. Hyperdrive was fast but these gates were near instantaneous. If they could replicate the speed humanity would be near the absolute pinnacle of FTL development. Extragalactic travel might then be possible.

"Sir we are coming out the gate in 5" said an ensign.

'About time' Hackett thought. 'Now things will get interesting.'

They exited the gate in a flash of blue into this purple nebula. Through the nebula they could see this capital station of theirs. Hackett had to admit it. He was impressed. The station had to be at least 40 KM in length. The largest space station humanity had built was Arcturus which serves as the headquarters for the United Nations and United Nations Space Force. The station was 15 KM in length and took all of the nations over 20 years of non-stop construction. This thing must have taken these aliens over a century to build.

Inside the station's arms were thousands of ships of different types. Most were freighters and what appeared to be the odd passenger ships. The others were obviously warships. The majority were of the same design that attacked Vietnam, predatory and with many sharp angles. The other two designs were less… aggressive looking. The first design was pure white and with low profiles and curves. The other design was also curved but focused more or cross-like shapes. The largest ship in the fleet which was half the size of his Venator and looked more like a work of art than a warship. Hackett wondered what it could do. Well there was an easy way to find out besides letting it shoot him.

"Kia."

Kia the ship's Head AI materialized in front of him. Her avatar was that of a black haired young woman wearing a World War 2 era naval uniform.

"Yes sir." She said giving him a crisp salute.

"Run a scan on that heavy cruiser sized ship. We need to know what we'll be getting into if this comes to blows. Be discreet." Said Hackett

"Yes Sir." She said before entering what could be described as a trance-like state. After a few moments she came back. "Done.'

"That fast?!" said Hackett.

"Yes sir. Roman AIs could give me a harder time than what these aliens are using. They're using a computer program though advanced can be best described as stupid. It was a simple matter to sneak past it."

"What did you learn?"

"The gun on that ship is impressive though simple. It is a scaled up version of the alien firearms we recovered. It uses this strange element to fire a large slug at relativistic speeds. Our shields could survive a few shots but after that it is up to our armor."

"In a one on one battle who would come out on top?"

"We would by a long shot but not without damage. Our energy weaponry can easily get through their shields which only protects from kinetic weaponry however a few shots from that heavy cruisers can destroy our shields then we'd have to rely on our armor. We'd win but we'd sustain enough damage to guarantee us at least six months in drydock for repairs."

"I sure hope they don't have anything bigger" said Hackett

* * *

"Goddess! That ship is bigger than anything we have!" yelled out one panic Asari

Councilor Tevos through the halls at a very brisk pace. An emergency Council session had been called up to address…THAT. What she meant by that was the large fleet parked outside the Citadel. They had come out of the relay being led by what many were starting to call the 'lost fleet'. This caused conspiracy theorists to panic saying the day that the Turians will overthrow the Council has come and they've been building up this fleet in secret. Tevos didn't believe a word of this since these were the same people that believed she and other matriarchs possessed mind control powers and were using them to control the galaxy.

The turian cruiser Conqueror docked near the Tower and C-Sec promptly escorted its captain to the Council Chambers. The captain had pre-prepared a report for them. General Arterius attacked unknown species for opening mass relay. Despite the action being illegal under council law most will agree that this is a special case and required a light touch. In his haste to defend one law Desolas broke many others. The irony would be funny if the situation wasn't so serious. If the report was to be believed this species was many times more advanced than the Council. Power Armor and huge ships are what they've seen so far and who knows what else they might have. If war broke out who knows how long it would go on? All 3 Councilors voted to make peace with this species. Tevos out of avoiding war, Salarian Councilor Molana wanted to study their tech, and Turian Councilor Sparatus wanted to save his own ass. Once word got out on a turian fleet botching a first contact heads were going to roll. The turians that recommended Desolas for the position were suddenly going to find themselves out of a job…Sparatus happened to be one of the turians who recommended Desolas command a fleet and by turian law he was in danger of losing his position.

* * *

Asari Diplomat Rari T'Mori would be traveling to the alien dreadnought with 4 Commandos as guards. An Asari was sent for three very good reasons. One was because the Asari are known for their diplomacy and that an experienced Asari diplomat could convince a starving person to give up their food. Two was to show these aliens the Turians had allies. Three was that thanks to General Desolas the standard diplomatic procedures would have to be thrown out the airlock. First Contact would normally be something that would take many months of preparation before a meld was even attempted. Rari was to perform a meld at the best possible moment as to smooth this disastrous situation over.

The shuttle approached the alien superdreadnought in as non-threatening a way as possible. The pilot began looking around the ship's hull for a docking bay when suddenly the top of the ship opened up. Inside were rows of hangers protected by an energy shield. One of the hangers stood out because of the flashing lights around it. It was evident this is where the aliens wanted them to go. Flying inside the shuttle's occupants go a good view of the many fighters, bombers, and landing craft inside the various hangers. The shuttle landed in the designated hanger and its occupants were treated to a pleasant surprise. A red carpet was laid out in front of them and alien soldiers at full attention lined the way. The display reminded Rari of turian diplomatic ceremonies. These aliens and the turians might not be so different. The aliens were very Asari like in their appearance. They seemed to have both males and females since half the aliens lacked breasts and were slightly more muscular

At the end of the carpet an alien in an ornate blue uniform. He reached his hand out and held it there with an expectant look on his face. Rari repeated the gesture and was a bit surprised when he took her hand into his and shook it in an up and do motion. The alien unclasped her hand and motioned for her to follow him. Rari and her guards followed the alien throughout the ship. The alien had 4 of his own guards each wearing a gas mask and a coat. Rari and her guards were led into what appeared to be a conference room judging from the table, chairs, and vid screen on the wall. Another alien was already there who bowed when they entered. The alien in the ornate uniform invited her to sit and not thinking of a better time Rari initiated a meld.

Once again Rari marveled at the similarities between her species and theirs. This alien's mind was similar in structure to an Asari. It wasn't the same but familiar enough that Rari could find her way around. She knew she didn't have much time so she got as much info on their language as she could. Suddenly a jolt ran through her head. She knew that was the sign of a meld being interrupted from the outside. If she was a young maiden such an action would have killed them both but Rari was experienced enough that the most she and the alien would have is a mild headache.

Looking around Rari was surprised to see all of her commandos had been disarmed and restrained. One of the alien soldiers came in and put a gun to her face. Rari ransacked her brain for the right words and cried out "Wait!"

The alien froze and turned to ornately dressed human and said "I'm not the only one that heard that right?"

The ornately dressed alien walked forward and looked her in the eyes. "You can speak our language? Then can you kindly explain what the hell you just did…"

Rari tried to find the correct words to explain it. "I…meld. Learn to speak. Meld…unfinished. Want peace. To be friend"

Hackett didn't fully trust her so a young ensign was used for her to finish this 'meld'. Once that was done the 'Asari' introduced herself. They then talked to each other about their respective species. The 1000 year lifespan was a bit impressive but it was nothing compared to the world leaders. When that was over they got to business. This 'Rari T'Mori' was both surprised and upset to learn that Hackett was not here to negotiate. He informed her that he and Anita Goyle were to just lay the groundwork until their leaders arrived and with a much bigger fleet! Hackett wanted this to be over but it would be a several days at most until the UN Fleet arrived. The commandos T'Mori brought as her guards were…interesting to say the least. From what Rari said they were among the best soldiers of her entire species. From what he could tell half of them were pissed at having been disarmed by the Rangers and the other half were harder to place but if he had to guess it was admiration. Despite there being no actual negotiations there was still a lot to do. Translators had to be built and preparations made. He and Goyle were going to have their work cut out for them.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry this chapter took so long. I got caught up in the holidays and on top of that this chapter just refused to write itself. If it looks weak in some areas then that's why. I wasn't even half way through and I already wanted this chapter to be over. The next one should come a bit sooner or at least I'll have it out before February is over.**


	8. Chapter 6

**For The Republic**

 _A true compromise is when both parties leave the table pissed off...  
_

 _-The Wanderer_

* * *

Emperor Caesar the Immortal of the Holy Empire of Rome tightened his grip on his seat as the ship left the safety of the hanger. The shuttle shook fiercely as it left the hangar once again reminding him this wasn't a roman vessel. The shuttle was a converted Republic LAAT Gunship. He really couldn't say converted. Seats were just added and weapons removed plus it was painted in the UN light sky blue instead of the Republic's dark blue. Roman shuttles were a much smoother ride allowing him to forget he was flying. Tightening his seatbelt Caesar tried to hide his nervousness from his associates but to no success.

"Don't tell me you are still afraid of flying, Caesar!" said the Wanderer with that wide grin of his that Caesar stated hating centuries ago.

"If God had wanted us to fly he would have given us wings! I will never understand how you find such an experience enjoyable!"

"Don't you admire the freedom of it all? The ability to go anywhere you want with no boundaries"

"No. The chance of plummeting towards the ground sours the experience for me."

"It's not like you'll die from it." Said Head Consul Dido of the Carthaginian Republic. "Besides we're in space. Not in an atmosphere."

"My dear Dido that is what makes it more terrifying. The knowledge of that instead of being rewarded with broken bones I'll have to endure floating through the void hoping I am rescued." Responded Caesar "Besides whether it is in the sky or among the stars we aren't on the ground."

"Caesar you need to get some excitement in your life and stop hanging around your palace all day. Do you have someone hold your hand on a roller coaster?" said the Wanderer

"Oh stop it you two. I refuse to spend the rest of this flight hearing you both prattle on like children." Said Premier Catherine of the USSR who had long given up the elegant dresses she wore in favor of more utilitarian clothing. "Not to mention that you don't have much to talk about Wanderer. Over 6000 years old and you've still haven't learned how to swim."

"Swimming doesn't come naturally to some people! It's hard!" said the Wanderer

"Friends. As illuminating as this conversation is I believe we should focus on the matter at hand. Which is the imminent negotiations." Said President Bismarck of Germany

"He's right. Does anyone have a plan of action?" asked Dido

"The reports I forwarded to you from Goyle say this is a multi-species alliance we are dealing with." Said the Wanderer. "It's similar to our United Nations with each species providing something in exchange for power and influence."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say the species you fought on Vietnam were the soldiers of this alliance." Said Caesar

"You are correct. The other species do contribute militarily but are inconsequential when compared to the 'Turians'. If we are lucky we might just end up fighting them."

"And if we are unlucky" asked Catherine

"We'll have the entire galaxy trying to get a piece of us. Though Goyle tells me that won't happen." Said the Wanderer with a smirk "Our species has made some big waves. The energy weaponry and power armor my troops demonstrated on Vietnam were things they didn't think were possible. That and the entrance we made were enough to show the entire galaxy we mean business."

The entrance the Wanderer was referring to was UN Fleet coming out of hyperspace. Goyle informed him that this Council expected them to use the Gate and were quite surprised to learn humanity had an alternate form of space travel. This would give them plenty of leverage in coming negotiations or a huge advantage if it came to war...

"30 seconds until we land." Said the pilot.

"Alright everyone. Nothing too fancy. We negotiate peace and possible trade agreements that are heavily in our favor and get out. Are we all in agreement." Said Caesar.

After everyone gave their confirmation Caesar said "Good. I'll take point."

The door of the shuttle slid open revealing a waiting crowd of aliens. Some were reporters and other appeared to be law enforcement keeping order but the vast majority appeared to be normal civilians. Whether made up of humans or aliens a crowd was still a crowd and humanity's leaders had a lot of experience in wooing a crowd. They were dignified but friendly and at the same time showing a bit of their true personalities. The Wanderer was giving his trademarked grins while Bismarck gave off the friendly grandfather vibe he possessed. Behind them the shuttle took of the return back to the ship.

Their quadre guards were nothing but professional taking up defensive positions around them to ward off any potential attackers. That was to be expected since they were from the UN Special Operations Group. The UNSOG was comprised of the best soldiers from every nation and city-state. United Republic Rangers, Roman Praetorians, Russian Spetsnaz, Hanoian Viet Cong, and Carthaginian Sacred Band just to name a few. Well at least the best soldiers that weren't taken by XCOM. Caesar could count on a single hand the best of his Praetorians that weren't picked up by XCOM this month. That number was expected to increase tenfold now alien life had been discovered and is potentially hostile.

Two alien law enforcement officers led them to an elevator to, and forgive him for sounding too cliché, 'take them to their leaders'. The elevator was taking an awful long time allowing him to get a closer discreet look at these aliens. The armor they were both wearing seemed too heavy for a normal patrol cop. It was more in line with the Republic's SWAT or Germany's GSG-9. The alien to his right was one of the 'turians'. A species of avian ancestry and from what the reports said a species known for its military skill. The alien on his left was an Asari. An all-female species that could easily pass for human if it wasn't for the blue skin or tentacle appendages on their heads. That huge cross shaped ship out there belonged to them and was the most advanced ship in the galaxy besides theirs of course. They also had an Asari guide. She was a bit of a bore pointing out interesting locales and explaining them in a way that struck Caesar as condescending. He understood she had to phrase it in a way as not to be misunderstood but every time she went on about Citadel achievements she did like she was speaking to a not so bright child.

They entered the so-called Council Chambers and Caesar admitted he was impressed but only a little. The room was nicely decorated but to the point where it was tacky. The Councilors were atop a podium placing them far above whoever they were speaking to. A not-so subtle way of saying 'we are better than you'. It reminded Caesar too much of that bastard Hitler, who used every opportunity to show he was better than everyone else. The Wanderer might think otherwise but his alliance to that blustering fool was one of convenience. He hated every minute of it but he needed someone to stand with him against the Republic and Hitler unfortunately fit the bill. He was still kicking himself over that miscalculation. It ended up getting a city turned into a radioactive ruin which his people had to rebuild since land is hard to come by on Earth. All around the room were balconies that were slowly filling up with reporters, ambassadors, and other important figures.

The group approached the Council. Time to get this show on the road. Caesar stepped forward since everyone grudgingly agreed he was the most charismatic and his position as head of the UN Security Council gave him a lot of authority in such manners.

"Esteemed members of the Citadel Council I am Julius Caesar Emperor of the Holy Empire of Rome and United Nations Security President." He said bowing his head respectfully. "I'll be conducting negotiations on behalf of my colleagues."

"Forgive us Emperor" the Asari Councilor Tevos, if he remembered her name correctly, said "But we were expecting to be conducting negotiations with the Wanderer of the United Republic for the incident on their colony."

"It seems there is a misunderstanding here Councilors. The planet the Turians attacked belongs to the Republic of Hanoi which the United Republic protects. Due to treaties created over a century ago the attack on Hanoi by an alien power is an attack on all human nations."

Caesar internally smiled when he saw the other two Councilors quickly glare at their turian counterpart. Not only did they risk war with the Republic but the rest of humanity as well. The Councilors quietly debated among themselves before saying "We would like to end all hostilies and offer you an embassy."

Caesar frowned. "An embassy for who exactly?" he asked

"There is only one embassy per species so you will all have to share one." Replied Tevos.

Caesar turned around to face his colleagues to see if they thought the same as him. The frowning faces told him yes they did. "I'm sorry Councilors but we have to refuse your generous offer."

"A Citadel Embassy is a great honor." Said the Turian Councilor who was struggling to keep his voice in check. "Most species petition for centuries to receive one. You shouldn't throw this opportunity away lightly."

"Once again Councilors I must say that we have to refuse." Said Caesar "We may seem united but the truth is…"

"That we all hate each other." Interrupted the Wanderer.

"He's always does that…" mumbled Caesar. Speaking louder so everyone could hear. "Despite how… brutishly it was put my colleague is correct. Over 6000 years of political, cultural, economic, religious, and personal animosity our nations find it hard to work together."

That wasn't a lie. Caesar didn't want to share anything with the Republic because they just end up owning. That International Space Station that was built a hundred years back was constructed mostly by the United Republic. The Mission Control was based in the Republic. Most astronauts that used it were from the Republic. It was international in name only. He was glad that despite being based in and equipped by the Republic XCOM was a true international organization. The first XCOM commander was Roman. When XCOM moved its main HQ from Republic City to the moon only then could he breathe easy.

"We are…saddened that you will not join the galactic community." Said Tevos.

"Councilors" said the Wanderer stepping forward to Caesar's annoyance. "Despite us not joining the Citadel it doesn't mean we can't have a good relationship. I propose we meet again in a few days' time and hammer out trade agreements & a possible military alliance."

After a moment of deliberation the Asari Councilor said "We accept your proposal."

* * *

A couple of days later the human leaders found themselves in one of the Council's private conference rooms. The Wanderer would be the one doing most of the talking this time since in the words of Caesar 'he was incapable of keeping his big mouth shut'. That was a lie. He could the cold and calculating when he wanted to. It's just that Caesar seemed much too happy so it was his duty to bring him down. That would give people the idea that him and Caesar hated each other but it was more of a friendly rivalry by this point. Caesar would get him back by sending him Hate-Gifts. Just last Christmas Caesar sent him a large portrait of himself that read 'To my biggest fan!' and like the 5000th Annual Fruitcake. He just can't throw them away since that's a waste of food and giving it someone is the same as saying 'I hate you'. They just take up space in a closet. The Wanderer looked around at the bored expressions of his fellow leaders and dare he say 'friends'. They were just as bored as he was. The Council had them waiting here for a good ten minutes now.

When they finally arrived Councilor Tevos greeted them all. Before they started negotiating they all thought it would be prudent to properly introduce themselves and better learn about each other's species and history. The human leaders were surprised to learn that Citadel were not in fact built by them but by the Protheans.

"The Protheans left many technological wonders scattered around the galaxy." Explained Tevos "Every time a new piece of technology is discovered our technological advancement shoots ahead by centuries. It is galactic law to share any found piece of prothean technology with the galaxy so all may benefit. Despite not joining the Citadel we hope you will share any prothean technology with us."

"We wish we could help you there but we haven't found any working prothean tech in our space. It was all destroyed most likely by the prothean themselves. That relay over Vietnam was the first working one we'd ever seen." Said the Wanderer

"So you have encountered no Prothean technology?" Said Salarian Councilor Rernal "We assumed the advanced pieces of technology we prothean derived."

"Nope. That was all us. Republic scientists and engineers are possibly the best in the galaxy." The Wanderer said proudly "It seemed like yesterday when electricity was invented…"

"And he never ceases to remind us." Said Catherine slyly smiling at the Wanderer's unamused look.

After promising to report any found Prothean technology talks then moved to trade agreements. The Council wanted access to hyperdrive, energy weaponry, and power armor. The human leaders were a bit apprehensive at trading such powerful technology to a civilization they just met and Bismarck mentioned that the Republic doesn't even trust them with the secrets to power armor. Medical technology and some civilian gear was to be freely traded however. Republic Stimpacks and Roman Medi-gel were going to be popular in Citadel Space.

Things almost went sour when talks drifted to fleet sizes and borders. Turian Councilor Sparatus was in complete denial that each human civilization had a fleet able to match the turian navy on their own and possessed dozens of colonies. The human leaders refused to sign the Treaty of Farixen and Citadel Conventions not wanting to limit their militaries in such a way. They did agree to issue public statements promising not to open mass relays. When Rernal mentioned the ban on Artificial Intelligence it was then things got complicated.

"You gave them equal status to organics?!" yelled Sparatus "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Hey it works. I can't speak for my fellow heads of state but I can say that the Republic's synthetic citizens have done nothing to warrant any suspicion and since their creation seek to better emulate humans who they consider their parents. I personally mentor the first AI ever created."

"I always wondered about that." interrupted Dido "Please tell me that isn't some daughter I could never have kind of thing."

Ignoring Dido the Wanderer continued on. "Gladys is all the things people should aspire to be. Kind, intelligent, and loving. She may not be human by birth but she is in spirit! I consider her to be the kid I always wanted…"

"Allah help him…" facepalmed Dido.

"…and see bright things in her future." The Wanderer finished.

The AI debate continued on for a half an hour longer. The Council wanted to continue pressing the issue but seeing the humans weren't going to budge conceded. AIs weren't allowed in Citadel Space unless they stay on military vessels or are approved to set foot on Council worlds and stations. Things did look up when the Wanderer offered to help Turians conduct patrols to which Sparatus gave one of his rare smiles.

Negotiations were starting to come to a close but before they could leave there was one last thing that needed to be answered.

"How old are you?" Asked Rernal suddenly

"Medical technology has increased the human lifespan to 100 years on average." Said Caesar.

"No. I mean you specifically. Emperor Caesar mentioned that 6000 years of personal animosity made it hard for your people to work together. The Wanderer said it 'seemed like yesterday electricity was invented' and that he mentors the first AI which I'm guessing isn't a recent invention so I ask again how old are you?"

The human leaders all look at each other and with a grin and a nod they silently agree. "You figured it out a lot quicker than we expected." Said Bismarck approvingly "We thought you would learn when our people began to freely share information. I myself am only 221 years old though my friends are over 6000. We are immortal."

"That's not possible…" said a shocked Tevos

"This has to be a lie" said a disbelieving Sparatus

"Is it so hard to believe?" said Bismarck "Your own people live the age of 1000 even though despite medical advances other species can only dream to reach a quarter of that."

"But how have you managed to live so long?" asked Rernal

"Honestly… we don't know. We have a theory but it's just that. A theory. One born of wishful thinking. I appeared in a nation ruined by war. My predecessor wasn't the best leader. I had no idea what was going on but I knew what I had to do. I had to lead because no one else could… not the way I can. My friends have told me over the years the same story. Appearing in the world with no memories of past lives but with an intense desire to lead and ability to do so very well."

"There has to be more to it than that!" said Rernal

"There has to be." Said Bismarck "If you find out lets us know because we'd really like some answers."

* * *

 **Civilopedia**

 **Low Altitude Assault Transport (LAAT)-** The LAAT often referred to as the Republic attack gunship or Republic Gunship, was a specialized gunship designed for aerial-based support and infantry transportation. Affectionately referred to as the 'Larty' by soldiers the LAAT was a beloved asset in any military since it is designed to fill any role from troop transport, aerial support, and even vehicle deployment. Every Republic ship larger than a corvette is designed to carry at least two.

The turian military recent ordered 20 LAATs of various types to see if it was a suitable replacement for their aging gunships until they could design one themselves. Reports say that the response from turian commanders is very positive and that the Republic can see a massive order of LAATs in the near future.

 **The World Leaders-** The world leaders is a term used to refer to the Immortal heads of state of the United Republic, Carthage, Rome, Germany, and Russia. The leaders are immortal in every sense of the word. They are unable to age, be killed, or die from illness. There are downsides to this apparent blessing however. The leaders still can get sick and feel pain.

In 47 CE during a smallpox outbreak Caesar caught the disease and was in pain for over 3 months before his immune system finally pushed it out of his system.

In 3857 BC while fighting barbarians the Wanderer takes and a battle ax to his lower back. It leaves him unable to walk and in excruciating pain for a while. His healers could do nothing but give him herbs and watch in amazement as his nerves slowly reconnect.

Another downside is that the leaders are completely sterile therefore unable to reproduce which coupled with the fact that they'll outlive everyone they love and care about makes them wary of forming attachments.


	9. Chapter 7

**For the Republic**

 **AN: This chapter here is an interlude that takes place from a few weeks to a couple of years after peace is achieved. These are from the perspectives of the various human leaders to show how they are adjusting to the galaxy and introduce some elements that will play a big part later in the story. The next chapter will cover alien perspectives.**

* * *

 **New Brandenburg Orbit**

 **Dömitz Military Station**

Bismarck glared at the aliens lined up in front of him. There were 30 of them. They were all of various species though most were from one called Batarians. These were the survivors of an attempted raid on German merchant vessels headed to the Citadel. It seemed they underestimated the ships of the Raum Marine (Space Navy). Space Piracy though rare wasn't unheard of in human space. Criminals and terrorists would occasionally get their hands on a mothballed military ship or weld guns to a civilian vessel and raid shipping or underdeveloped colonies. They were always dealt with swiftly by the all human nations though Germany had a special way to go about it.

"What you've done is a serious crime. Not just here but in all civilized space." He said glaring at each alien in turn. "In most societies you'd be tossed into prison or executed. We Germans however feel that you should give back to society. So congratulations."

One male Batarian was brave enough to ask "Congratulations for what exactly?"

"Your new positions of course. Welcome to the Strafbattalion. You've all just been drafted." Bismarck replied with a smile. "The number of years you will have to serve will depend on your position in the crew with commanding officers serving longer. You all will have to serve at least five years regardless of position."

Expressions of shock and anger were on the faces of most of the aliens, especially the Salarians. They were known for, in comparison to other species, relatively short lifespans. Five years to a Salarian is a very long time. None of them acted out on their anger. The dozen heavily armed guards watching the proceedings made sure of that. Bismarck did notice some were completely unfazed by this new development. He was referring to the Asari. There were only 4 of them in the group. All maidens by their youthful appearance. They probably joined this pirate crew because it would be exciting.

"For some of you however…" he said turning his attention to the Asari "five years isn't all that effective a punishment. Our new Asari recruits shall have sentences to better fit their lifespans. We'll hammer it out later but I think a hundred years is a good start…"

One of the asari the youngest of the four stepped out of line and shouted at him "But you can't do that!"

"I can and I will." He replied casually.

"I am a citizen of the Asari Republics! You can't treat me like this! I have rights!" she yelled

"No. You are a pirate and a criminal. You forfeited those rights the moment you decided to steal. Though if you prefer we could deal with you the way the Turian Hierarchy deals with pirates. I believe it involves tossing you all out the nearest airlock…" he said quietly

Everyone blanched at Bismarck's statement and the looked on his face that made it clear that he was 100% serious. The young asari closed her mouth and stepped back into line.

"Do I hear any other disagreements?" Bismarck asked hearing nothing but silence. "No? Good. You all ship out to basic training immediately."

* * *

 **Terra Nova**

 **New Syracuse**

 **Caesar's Summer Palace**

"I admit Generals, I find your offer to be unexpected." Caesar said to the 2 turian generals seated in front of him.

"The Primarch would like to mend human and turian relations after the… incident" said General Oraka.

Caesar raised an eyebrow at the word incident. 'That wasn't an incident' he thought 'that was a damn war.'

"Your fleets are powerful and having you patrol with us would be a big help in rooting out pirates and slavers." Said General Orinia, a female turian.

They must have been really impressed with the Terra Nova Defense Fleet. Rome's biggest (and only) dreadnought type ship happened to be in the system after returning from its trial flight. The Executor-Class was the biggest ship ever built by humans at 19,000 meters. It was also ridiculously slow, had many weaknesses, and a crew the size of a small city. After construction it was decided that it could not fulfill its duty as a battleship so it was turned into a carrier instead. On the bright side its large size allowed it to carry thousands of fighters, dozens of corvettes, and even a couple of frigates. AIs predicted it could wreck a half of the Republic Fleet singlehanded on a good day. He still thought it was a bit of a waste of money.

"I am flattered that you'd consider us. Many would think that you'd ask the Republic for help. It is no secret they have the most ships out of all of us." said Caesar

"The Republic didn't want to dedicate any ships to patrolling for criminals. They are content to guard their own territories and those of their allies." Said Orinia

That's pretty much the Republic military in a nutshell thought Caesar. When not at war the largest human military were more or less glorified security guards. They keep the borders secure, maintain bases and outposts, and defend allied city-states. Occasionally throughout history some barbarian tribes would get uppity and do something that brings the entire Republic military down on them reminding the world they are still a very efficient fighting force.

"Not to mention" said General Oraka "Our people have much in common. You Romans remind me very much of us turians. Our values are more or less the same and our cultures are fairly similar."

That much was true. The turians shared many cultural similarities with romans like having different tiers of citizenship and the emphasis on a strong military. After thinking it over Caesar saw no major cons to the offer. Patrolling with the turians will not only improve relations with them but give him some leverage in future Council sessions.

"Generals, On behalf of the Roman people." Said Caesar "I graciously accept."

* * *

 **URS Alliance**

 **Near colony of Haven**

The colony of Haven was relatively new. It only had a population of a few thousand people but it was steadily growing. The previously dormant mass relay in the system was activated after it was discovered to lead to an area of the Terminus Systems that contained some relatively peaceful independent colonies. This made Haven likely to become an important trade hub in the future. In terms of protection it had usually had a few corvettes and defense satellites making it a lightly defended colony. At the moment however it was one of the most heavily defended system in Republic space with the Republic 2nd Fleet in system. That wasn't all though.

A few hours earlier ships started pouring out of the relay. They just kept coming and coming. The Haven Territorial Militia panicked and called in the Navy. Less than an hour later a small fleet hyperspaced in. By the time they got there the number of ships that came through the relay were well over a few thousand. Before the situation could escalate transmissions from the still growing fleet of ships identified themselves as the 'Quarian Migrant Fleet'. The commander of the Republic Fleet ordered them to stay put while a diplomat was dispatched.

That diplomat happen to be the Wanderer himself who just happened to be at Vietnam which was a few systems away dedicating a memorial to those that died. The Wanderer after the dedication boarded the Hunter-Class Cruiser _Alliance_ and made the jump to Haven. The Quarians had to send a shuttle to pick up the Wanderer and his guards since they didn't have any ships compatible with the Quarians airlocks. The Quarians also insisted they all wear environment suits to prevent contamination explaining they had poor immune systems.

To say the Quarian piloting the shuttle was nervous would have been an understatement. Even through his envirosuit the Wanderer and his two Ranger guards could see his unease. The humans guessed it was due to the Wanderer. After peace was achieved the Council gave basic information about the galactic community's newcomers in a press conference. One piece of info they gave out was the leaders of the human nations being immortal. The Citadel extranet completely exploded. Most assumed that we were lying or it was a translation error. After humanities internet was linked to the extranet and aliens everywhere got access to human historical records did they general populace finally accept it.

They docked with the one of the larger ships. The pilot called it a Live Ship. At nearly 3000 Km it was much larger than the Republic's Venator-Class Dreadnoughts. The pilot explained it was more of a passenger/farming vessel than a warship. It had some defensive weaponry in the form of some Council frigate size mass accelerators but anything larger ran the risk of overloading the already stressed mass effect cores. The Live Ships were still an impressive feat of engineering and construction.

The Wanderer was welcomed on board the live ship Rayya where he'd meet with the Quarian Admirals. The Wanderer asked what they were doing in Republic Space. The Quarians told them of how their creations the Geth rebelled against them forcing them to wander the stars. The Wanderer and his guards tensed up. Especially Ranger Ripley.

The Quarians went on to explain that after losing their homeworld and colonies the Council stripped them of their embassy and forbade them from colonizing within their space. Quarians are heavily discriminated against in Council space being looked upon as beggars and thieves. It seemed the Council neglected to The Wanderer thought about talking to them about that but decided actions louder than words. He'd take the Quarians under his wing like he'd done with the city-states of Hanoi, Mogadishu, and Florence. From what he'd seen the Quarians would make an invaluable member of the Republic's many protectorate nations. There was one thing that he'd have to get out of the way…

The Wanderer offered to ally with the Quarians. The Quarians asked if the Republic would be willing to help them reclaim their homeworld. The Wanderer said yes but not in the way they expected. He instead offered to allow the Migrant Fleet free access to Republic Space, give them ships both new and old, and get them back Rannoch by negotiation if possible.

An admiral by the name of Han'Gerrel laughed asking how he expected to negotiate with the Geth. The Wanderer asked how much they knew about humans the Republic in particular. The Quarians admitted very little. The Council refused to give them any information and the extranet had so many conflicting opinions it was hard to find the facts. The Wanderer knew that a demonstration was in order.

"Ranger Ripley. Remove your helmet." The Wanderer ordered.

One of the quarians protested saying this was a sterile environment and she could contaminate it if she removed her helmet. The Wanderer calmed them saying that there was no risk of contamination from her. Ripley's helmet hissed as she unclasped it. When she removed it the Quarians, the admirals, guards, and civilian spectators all gasped. Instead of a normal human like they were expecting they saw one with pure white skin almost like porcelain, black hair that upon closer inspection was revealed to be artificial. The Quarians knew that without a doubt this was a synthetic.

Seeing that all hell was about to break lose the Wanderer yelled "Hey!" grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Before you all freak out I would like to say that Ranger Ripley is not like the Geth and neither are any of the Republic's synthetic citizens. They are recognized by United Nations law as human beings and have our trust. I'm going to make you an offer. You put your fear behind you and let us help or you can continue living in fear. Your choice."

The Quarian Admirals deliberated in private for a few minutes before returning. "On behalf of the Quarian people we accept your offer."

* * *

 **Carthaginian Space**

 **Colony of Libya**

 **City of Oea**

 **Dido's Summer Palace**

What is Carthage? If you asked the Wanderer he would probably say a valued ally or something similar. If you asked Bismarck he would say their main trading partner. If you asked Caesar or Catherine they would say the Republic's lackey. All of them including, to Dido's displeasure, the last one were more or less true. The Republic and Carthage have been friends for as long as she can remember which is pretty long. The Republic defended them when the Nazis invaded. The Republic traded with them when their coffers were low. They even shared the same religion at least until the rise of Islam though Republican Protestantism was still followed by some. Though Caesar and Catherine accused her of being the Wanderer's lapdog they couldn't deny it had its perks.

The Hunter-Class Cruisers and Acclamator-Class Frigates in their navy were some pretty good perks not to mention the permanent defensive pact between them. The Wanderer was also a friend she could trust which in her book was high praise indeed.

Contrary to popular opinion Carthage was a powerful nation in its own right. They didn't have a strong military, advanced technology, large territory, or powerful culture. What they did have was money and lots of it. On Earth Carthage had the second strongest economy of all the human nations. The only reason they weren't at the top was the large amount of resources the Republic sat on. When humanity took to the stars Carthage quickly moved to first place with new resources at their disposal from their colonies. Carthage now had a treasury full of gold and was responsible for making a universal currency. The Human Credit (HC) was similar to the Citadel Credit (CC) in some ways but vastly different in others. HC were both digital and physical while CC was purely digital. This made it fairly easy for anyone with basic hacking skills to steal large amounts of credits from the unsuspecting. CC was also fiat currency while HC were backed up in gold. This made it difficult to create an exchange rate since CC's were technically worthless.

She was currently in a meeting with several members of the Vol Protectorate to fix that. The Volus reminded her a lot of Carthage. The only difference was that instead of a friendly relationship with a stronger power the volus had a master. A turian and some volus would protest calling it a mutually beneficial relationship but any idiot can see the turians were benefiting the most. By all rights the Hierarchy and by extension the Council would have collapsed economically if the volus weren't keeping their treasuries full. To add insult to injury they get little to no recognition despite singlehandedly creating the galaxy's economy and keeping it afloat.

Dido could see an opportunity. The Volus weren't the only neglected Citadel species. The Hanar, Drell, and Elcor were all ignored by the Council. She'd start off slow at first. Giving them generous trade deals and forging better relations. Then a military alliance. Despite being the weakest human nation the Carthaginian Navy was still very powerful. Promises to give them priority in tech deals will help bring them closer. Before the Council finally notices Carthage would have already stolen their associate races away…

* * *

 **Unclaimed System near Terminus-Russian Border**

 **1** **st** **Fleet, Russian Navy**

 **SSV Rodina (MC80 Dreadnought)**

Catherine checked her equipment over once more before joining the rest of her squad in the dropship. It was a LAAT/i they bought off the Republic. It wasn't Russian but it will do. She was on another of what Caesar called her 'excursions'. Every decade or so she would chose a job at random from the inside of a hat and work it until the next. This decade she pulled out soldier, one she hadn't picked in a while.

She started doing it around the same time Russia embraced socialism. She wanted to do her part and help her people in a more personal matter. That and it helped stave off boredom. Not to mention it was amusing for both her people and herself to see one of the most powerful humans on Earth working a blue collar job. It also gave her some skills she could use in her everyday life. She built her summer palace on Belarus all by herself. Granted it wasn't really a palace and more of a small house by a lake but it was still nice.

She hasn't been a soldier in a couple hundred years. That was when her people were still using muzzleloaders. Needless to say she had a lot of bad habits to unlearn. Her squad leader a Sgt. Viktor Rezno was patient. He taught her to be a very deadly soldier. She used a submachine gun in combat, a PPSH-41. It was an old model but as the Wanderer would say 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. It could still kill and very effectively despite its old design. She wore a large vest in combat not to protect her but to fool both her allies and enemies. The bullets wouldn't kill her but there wasn't any need for those around her to know her true identity. Her role as Premier was known only to her squad and her commanding officers. To everyone else she was Private Tayna.

Their mission was to wipe out a pirate base built on a jungle moon here in this system. The pirates thought they were being very sneaky building this base so close to Russia's borders, but nothing escapes the KGB. She ordered a small detachment be sent in to clear out the base. Luckily her battalion was being sent in. How did that happen...?

The operation went along with few problems. Their LAATs came in fast and low evading their AA. MI-124 'Howler' gunships covered their landing. Once inside the base the pirates didn't put up that good of a fight with some surrendering almost immediately. The main problem was the mercs. It seemed that the pirates captured some people in their last raid and were turning them over to the Blue Suns. The Blue Suns she read was a mostly Batarian outfit with the odd turian or krogan. They were officially a private security company but in reality they were just better armed thugs. The Blues Suns didn't usually sell slaves to the Hegemony but they were known to do it when short on credits. This must be one of those times. The Suns fought hard causing them to lose a few men in the process but they inevitably prevailed.

Slavery was never really practiced on Earth. It was seen as something only barbarians would do. She could still remember hearing how workers would get dragged off to an uncertain fate. She gave Reznov a look of grim approval when he ordered all the Blue Suns against the wall and for them to fire. Officially the Russian military was against executing unarmed prisoners but she knew their COs wouldn't make a fuss. They'd probably give him a medal.

They opened up the cages and released the prisoners. The pirates said their last raid was an Asari passenger ship so the prisoners were mostly Asari. Many of the Asari showed signs of being abused. As her squadmates helped carry out the more injured Catherine kneeled next to one who was too weak to stand on her own. She offered the Asari an arm which she hesitantly took.

"Thank you." The Asari said quietly.

"Your welcome." Catherine replied giving her a reassuring smile.

The Asari returned it before frowning. "Haven't I seen you before…? Wait you're…"

"Shhh" Catherine interrupted her. "It's best that didn't get out. Think of it as our little secret. So you know who I am can I get your name?"

The asari thought about it for a moment before saying "It's Morinth."

* * *

 **AN: You saw a mention to a Hunter-Class Cruiser above right? When I got reviews saying that having both the Republic's cruisers and dreadnoughts be called Venators would be confusing. From here on out the cruiser ships will be called Hunters.**

 **Oh and about Rome having the Executor. Since I am completely uncreative when it comes to ship designs and can't draw at all I decided to just have the human powers use Star Wars ships because "WHY NOT?!"**

 **This is a bit grounded in reality since in Galactic Civilizations 3 (which is basically Civ In Spaaaace!) I have the United Republic which I made in-game use a bunch of star wars ships I got off the workshop. So there. What ships everyone uses will be listed below.**

 **Morinth's character will be different since her and Catherine will strike up a friendship and Catherine's positive influence will allow her to control her Ardat-Yakshi influences. There still will be friction between her and Samara but to see how that will be resolved you will have to wait. ;)**

 **You also see I made the Blue Suns an batarian mercenary group. The nations will have their own unique merc groups.**

 **Ships**

 **United Republic = Galactic Republic**

 **Rome = Galactic Empire**

 **Germany = CIS**

 **Russia = Rebel Alliance**

 **Carthage = Buys ships of everyone else giving them a mishmash fleet.**


	10. Chapter 8

**For the Republic**

 **AN: I'm back baby! You guys probably want to know what happened. Well my computer had some hardware issues which left me down one computer. I continued writing on my tablet whenever I could thinking that I could just post them when I got the chance. A few months ago I ended up dropping it…**

 **I had that tablet for over 5 years and the very first time I dropped it the tablet instantly broke. Unfortunately those chapters I wrote weren't backed up so I lost almost everything. Did I smash an orphan's computer in a past life because it seems like the Tech Gods have it in for me. The only thing I managed to save was this chapter, rough outline of the next, and one chapter of my Gate story.**

 **Thankfully it turns out the repairman kept my computer and was working on it in his spare time. He managed to get it working again so here I am. While I would like to get intimately reacquainted with Steam I decided I've kept you guys waiting long enough so I'll mostly be writing for these next few weeks. Hopefully I can get four chapters out by the end of the month.**

* * *

 **The Citadel**

 **Zakera Ward**

Saren Arterius scowled as he made his patrol through one of Zakera Ward's lower levels. He was once regarded by many to be the next turian Spectre but now he was considered lucky to have landed this position in C-Sec. Ever since Desolas' trial for his explosive first contact with the humans the name Arterius has been all but blacklisted. The Hierarchy took a big hit to its reputation after the Relay 314 Incident or Vietnam Conflict as some turians had taken to calling it. To save face they had a big show trial calling Desolas a disgrace to the turian people and all the Hierarchy stands for. The look of hurt and betrayal on his brother's face is one he'll never forget. Thankfully he wasn't executed though that's what it seemed like they were building up to. Desolas was instead dishonorably discharged and subject to permanent house arrest.

Rounding a corner Saren came across one the few friends he had here in C-Sec, a young turian by the name of Garrus Vakarian.

"So Saren how's your day been going so far?" he asked jovially

"Nothing much. Had to chase down 3 pickpockets, deal with a salarian hacker stealing credits, and got biotically thrown by an Asari all before lunch. What about you?"

"The usual. Shootout with drug dealers, shootout with gang members, shootout with mercs, get yelled at by Executor Pallin, and help get a baby varren out a tree."

Saren chuckled "You're slipping Garrus. You usually get shot at a lot more than that."

"I don't know… The day is still young. A gang of krogan might stir up some trouble later on."

"Still that's light compared to what you usually get up to. Anything else happen?"

"There was some slight trouble with a quarian on the upper level."

"Thief?"

"Now Saren. One thing you learn in C-Sec is how untrue that stereotype of all quarians being thieves is. Only the diehard bigots still believe it after their first year."

"Sorry." Saren mumbled.

"Don't worry about it. It's what we were raised to believe. What happened is that there was a robbery in one of the nicer shops a few levels above here. A batarian made off with a few thousand credits worth of goods. As he was making a run for it he turned to this nearby quarian and said 'Boss, what are you waiting for? Run!'."

Seeing where this was going Saren said "Please tell me they didn't…"

"Yep. The batarian's pursuers immediately without any hesitation stop chasing him and tackled the quarian instead."

"Of all the idiotic…" Saren didn't exactly have a high opinion of quarians but even he would fall for such an obvious trick. As if a batarian would consider a quarian their superior.

"That's what I thought when I heard. By the time I got there the crowd was about ready to lynch her. Thankfully another passing officer revealed this is becoming a rising fad among petty thieves. Run of with some stuff and implicate the nearest quarian as an accomplice to get rid of some of the heat. After that the crowd sheepishly left after that without as much as an apology."

"Sounds bad."

"Yeah well at least we'll be getting help in a few weeks."

"Oh?"

"Yeah… The humans are transferring some of the best officers from their respective nations." Garrus replied watching Saren closely.

After a moment of silence Saren sighed and said "We could use the help. C-Sec is getting a bit short staffed."

"Yes it is." he replied in approval

* * *

 **Undisclosed Location**

 **Eclipse Merc Base**

Spectre Jondum Bau ducked behind a crate while his SMG cooled down. These Eclipse were a bit more heavily entrenched than he thought. They needed to be given what they were up to. These mercs were hiring pirate groups to raid human shipping on the promise the spoils will be divided up between them with a significantly larger portion going to the Eclipse for organizing the whole thing and providing occasional support. Humans were still new so anything coming out of their space was worth a lot be it technology or a cultural item.

Jondum took aim at another Eclipse LOKI mech and fired a short burst watching as the mech's head became a mess of twisted metal and sparking wires. An Asari approached on his left an assault rifle in hand and biotics ready. He overwhelmed her biotic barriers and killed her with a much longer burst though this had the negative effect of requiring his weapon to cool down again. Grunting in frustration Jondum was beginning to see why some mercs and even a few of his fellow Spectres were starting carry at least one human firearm. At least you can just reload when you run out with those.

Jondum saw an Eclipse carrying something large in their hands. It looked like… Damn, Grenade launcher! The blast threw him on his back. His vision was blurry and his hearing was filled with nothing but a constant ringing. He barely registered the boot stepping on the hand still holding his gun. Soon his hearing recovered enough he could make out voices.

"...and call the boss. We just bagged a spectre!"

"The Council is going to pay a small fortune for him!"

"Quit being stupid. The Council isn't gonna pay no ransom and especially not for a spectre. Plausible deniability and all that."

"Then what good is he to us then?"

Jondum felt a gun being pressed to his forehead. This was how it was all going to end? Killed by some mercs that got lucky. Not the highlight of his career. Suddenly his already abused hearing was assaulted by a new sound. Several loud bangs in quick succession. He quickly worked them out to be gunshots from a human weapon.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

Looking up he could see a lone human soldier, Republic Ranger judging from the armor, with his hand outstretched. Taking the hand the ranger helped back up to his feet.

"Spectre right?" the Ranger asked.

"Yes. Spectre Jondum Bau. Mercs got the better of me with that grenade launcher. I certainly picked one hell of a day to go without a helmet. And you are."

"Anderson. Ranger Captain David Anderson."

* * *

 **Sol System, Earth**

 **United Republic of States, Delta State**

 **Aperture Science**

The Wanderer felt a bit out of his element. Here he was surrounded by the rich and influential of Council Space and even a few from the Terminus Systems. Aperture Science was hosting a bit of a get together to try and get new investors. Not that he'd need an excuse to come to Aperture. Unlike Black Mesa, Aperture has always been a family company and the Johnsons are a very… unforgettable family. They were always a treat to hang around. Not like these people around him. When you've led for as long as he has you can see a kiss-ass from a mile away and most of the people here look like they've got a degree in brown-nosing.

He's only been here ten minutes and he's already had to turn down corporate CEOs looking to sign exclusive contracts, political hopefuls trying to become famous for being friends with the Wanderer, and over a dozen asari of varying ages trying to increase their standing by entering a relationship with one of the human leaders. He thinks the rumor that offspring between an asari and one of the human leaders might lead to immortal children might be the source for the sudden explosion of interest.

Thankfully Aperture's CEO finally entered. Cave Johnson III as he was often told looked very much like his namesake. The Wanderer who knew him personally thought the resemblance was scary at times and if he didn't witness the various Johnsons growing up himself he'd think Aperture was simply cloning their founder and his wife/assistant over and over. He certainly wouldn't put it past them. Lord knows the number of downright insane ideas he's had to shoot down over the years. At least they aren't at the level of that possible resonance cascade Black Mesa could have caused over a century ago. He shouted himself hoarse that day. Looks like Cave is about to speak. He had to hear this.

"Welcome everyone, welcome." Cave said giving them his best smile "I'm Cave Johnson the Third! CEO of Aperture Science and all its subsidiaries. In short I own the place. I know what you're all thinking 'why should I invest in this man's company?'. I could stand here all day and bore you while I give a detailed answer to this question but a better use of your time is to give you a tour of our facilities so you can answer it yourself. So without further ado let's get a move on."

Cave then led the group down a long corridor with one side lined with windows. This hallway was built above some of Aperture's main test chambers. The ones that contained Aperture's most important (and least dangerous) experiments. Cave gestured to an empty test chamber.

"This ladies and gentlemen is a test chamber. Four walls, ceiling, and a floor. Good enough for science but not Aperture Science!" Cave said dramatically as the walls of the room began to ripple. "May I present you the Panel! The planks of tomorrow!"

"Aperture Science Panels are fully configurable and infinitely variable. The Panels allow us to configure our test chambers in any form we choose."

There were a few hums of approval but both Cave and the Wanderer could see the crowd's socks weren't exactly knocked off. Cave wasn't worried. This little tour was purposefully designed to increasingly awe those participating with each experiment they witnessed. By the end of it they'll practically be giving him money.

"This next one is something already in use by the Republic military. As you can see this test chamber goes up quite a ways. Over 700 feet to be precise. Up at the top one of our interns will jump down. Let's see if he makes it."

Everyone stares intensely at the test chamber hoping to catch a glimpse of the man wondering how he was going to survive the fall. The intern soon came into view lightly landing on his feet like he only jump from a small ledge and not a 700 foot drop.

"I give you the latest in inertial dampening technology. The lab boys call them Long Fall Boots. The Republic Military use a heavier version in their power armor suits allowing soldiers to leap from any height."

This got a much better reaction from the potential investors. Seeing he was getting them interested Cave showed them to the next experiment. From energy weaponry to advanced robotics their excitement grew. By the end of the tour 80% of the investors were showing a willingness to invest. It was time for Cave to use Aperture's Magnum Opus.

The group reached the end of the hallway, a blank wall, to which Cave feigned surprise. "It appears we neglected to put a door here. Don't worry we'll just make one."

Everyone sans Cave and the Wanderer gasped as an orange hole suddenly appeared on the wall. Through it everyone could see the room in which they originally were before this tour started. The Wanderer smiled as those around him tried to process this new sight. The path they took was in a complete straight line so they can't say they looped around.

"This everyone" said Cave "is the portal. Long ago we managed to figure out how to open a whole in space that allows instantaneous travel from one area to another. Guaranteed to revolutionize transportation. Our development of the hyperdrive actually stemmed from our research into portal technology. I'm sorry everyone but that's all the time I have for now. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask my assistant Greg over there."

One by one the investors passed through the portal very much impressed. Soon the only ones left in the hall were Cave and the Wanderer.

"Not gonna tell them that you can only make portals within this building due to the massive power requirements?" the Wanderer asked

"What they don't know won't hurt them. Besides we're making great strides. We might actually be able to publically implement this… in a few decades." Cave replied "I guessing this isn't just a social call."

"I want to know if you made any progress with our special project." the Wanderer replied

"You have impeccable timing. We just made a breakthrough." Cave then pressed a button on his watch. "Reroute portal to test chamber X-13."

The portal's destination soon changed to a test chamber containing a scale model of an (Arquitens) Eagle-class Corvette. Cave nodded to one of the scientists who pressed a button on his datapad. The Eagle then immediately disappeared.

"We could make ships invisible to any kind of sensor before." said Cave "Now we can do it on the visual spectrum. What next?"

The Wanderer grinned. "Project Normandy is a go."

* * *

 **Migrant Fleet**

 **MFS Rayya**

 **Conclave Conference Chambers**

"This is an outrage! It is a betrayal to everything the quarian people stand for to even consider accepting this proposal!"

Shala'Raan momentarily wished to have something alcoholic to drink as her opponent went on with his rant. The United Republic's offer of an alliance had split the Fleet in two. There were those who saw this alliance as submitting to an alien power and one that used AI no less. Needless to say they were wholeheartedly against the idea. Then there was her group who saw this as once in a life opportunity. The Republic was able to beat back the Turian Hierarchy all on its own and though its use of AI was concerning it wasn't worth tossing the out the Republic's proposal.

The treaty was fair if not outright generous. It was heavily slanted in the quarians favor almost suspiciously so. The Migrant Fleet gets to freely enter Republic space and use republic shipyards for maintaining the fleet. The Republic will protect the fleet from attack. The topper is that the Republic will also negotiate on the quarians behalf in the Council giving the quarians a voice in galactic politics again however meager.

The only thing was technical assistance in understanding mass effect based technology. There was also a suggestion that quarian pilgrims could join the Republic military and at the end of their term of service will be paid in anything from ships, resources, and possibly technology. Shala and her supporters could see the advantages this alliance will bring. Thankfully her group was bigger.

* * *

 **Surkesh**

 **STG Headquarters**

The Director of the STG opened a bottle of anti-migraine medication. Taking a few pills he wondered how things could go so terribly wrong. Ever since peace was made with the humans the STG have been trying to establish a foothold in their territory. In the minor human powers like Florence or Sydney there were little to no problems. The larger nations are where they started to have issues. The humans spied on each other constantly so they had more than a little experience in anti-espionage. The agents sent to Roman territory are currently laying low with the Frumentarii close to catching them. The biggest barrier they ended up running headfirst into was the United Republic.

They had heard rumors. The Republic's 'Great Firewall' made all attempts of espionage on their nation utterly useless. It was assumed this was simply just propaganda. Just hours ago this was proved to be the complete and utter truth as hard as it was for him to grasp. All of the probes they sent into Republic space were intercepted and destroyed. A new state of the art stealth vessel that could mask its heat emissions was disabled & boarded by Republic forces within hours of entering their space. The agents that they had spent weeks meticulously crafting backgrounds for were apprehended at the spaceport.

What happened next still shocked him. The agents and stealth ship crew were then taken to the nearest military base and executed without trial. The method of execution was hanging apparently. Primitive but understandable. A nation as old as the Republic was bound some archaic laws so it was to be expected. At least they aren't as bad as the Asari. The crime of rape was still punishable by public stoning in Asari space. Still the execution seemed a bit extreme in his opinion. Typically when an STG agent was captured they were ransomed back for a large fee in exchange for keeping quiet.

The capture and execution of their agents reminded the galaxy in the worst possible way that the STG spied on people. Though they weren't members of the Citadel the humans were still allies and many in the galaxy saw this attempt at espionage liable to sabotage that alliance. The Salarian Union has been put on the spot and someone would have to take the blame. Naturally the Dalatresses tried to make him their sacrifice but he didn't get this position by sheer luck. After a few discreet extranet messages and some planted evidence several prominent dalatresses that order the operation took a big hit to their careers while some less powerful ones gained influence.

Now that his job was secure it was time to see if the Republic's Great Firewall could be replicated. It certainly demonstrated its usefulness and a system like that would make the STG a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

 **AN: And that's a wrap. The events in this chapter all take place a few weeks to a few months after first contact. The next chapter will be the Blitz, Shepard's introduction, and Torfan. After that we start the ME1 storyline.**

 **Below is a litte experiment of mine. A cultural civilopedia. In this I'll put down some human cultural items of varying mediums from this universe. Just a way to show you the difference or go into more detail on something mention in the chapter.**

* * *

 **Cultural Civilopedia**

 **Name:** Guns of the Barbarians

 **Type:** Literature

 **Year:** 1992

 **Nation of Origin:** United Republic of States

 **Plot:** An alternate history science fiction novel written by Harry Turtledove. During the Barbarian Purge a barbarian tribe are met by a strange women. She looks like them but speaks in a strange accent and doesn't act in the manner befitting a woman. She and her group claim to be from a tribe far away and have brought weapons that will allow themselves to push back the invading Republicans. A strange weapon called an AK-47.

 **AN:** Basically a group of modern barbarians build a time machine and travel back in time to when the Republic was trying to colonize the island that will become Delta State with the intentions of setting themselves up like kings.

* * *

 **Name:** Fallout

 **Type:** Video Game Series

 **Year:** 1995

 **Nation of Origin:** United Republic of States

 **Plot:** In the year 2000 the nations of Earth don't agree to cooperate with each other and instead continue to violently compete. This all comes to a close in the year 2077 when dwindling resources provokes a global thermonuclear war which destroys human civilization.

 **Famous Quote:** War. War Never Changes…

 **AN:** I'll go into detail about various games in the series later.

* * *

 **Name:** 300

 **Type:** Film

 **Year:** 2003

 **Nation of Origin:** Holy Empire of Rome

 **Plot:** A historically faithfully retelling of the Roman Barbarian Purge when the Romans expelled the last barbarians from their home continent. 300 Roman Legionaries led Emperor Caesar himself by fend off an army of over 10,000 barbarians. Historians praised the film for its dedication for historical accuracy which was owed to Emperor Caesar taking direct part in its production. Characters in the film were all people he knew from the battle.

 **Famous Quote:** "300 Legionnaires against 10,000 barbarians? They are hopelessly outnumbered." -Caesar

 **AN:** Historically accurate 300. Some creative liberties were taken but none that Caesar thought would be disrespectful for those that fought and died in the battle.

* * *

 **Name:** Red Star

 **Type:** Comic Series

 **Year:** 1949

 **Nation of Origin:** United Socialist State of Russia

 **Plot:** Vladmir Volkov was your average Russian teenager until after being exposed to radiation on a field trip to a science lab gives him superpowers. Donning a mask and proclaiming himself Red Star he fights crime in the name of truth, justice, and the socialist way.

 **AN:** To put it simply Red Star is like a combination of Superman and Spiderman. He can fly, has super strength, and can shoot yellow beams out his palms. He's a good kid but also cocky and tends to taunt his enemies.


	11. Chapter 9

**For the Republic**

 **AN: Sorry everyone but I'm going to have to take another hiatus. I signed up for this program to get some job training and have to report to their center at the end of the month. Unfortunately they don't allow electronics like laptops on site so I'm going to be gone again.**

 **Best case scenario I'm in and out in around 6 months. Worst case about a year. I'll be sure to work hard and get back to writing as soon as possible. I've got a lot of ideas I want to do.**

* * *

Ranger Johnathan Nathaniel Shepard ducked behind a wall as mass accelerator rounds pinged off it. He'd just been promoted to Ranger Commander and as a reward was given 2 weeks leave on the planet of his choosing. He chose Elysium since he heard it was nice this time of year. In hindsight he should have chosen Eden Prime because only four days into his stay the planet was blitzed by a massive force. Near him were a couple of members of the Elysium National Guard, a young man his mid-20s and a much older man, taking potshots at the invaders. They were guarding the entrance to one of the emergency vaults and judging from the corpses of their fellow national guard around them they were fighting a losing battle. Dodging enemy fire he ran over to their position.

"Citizen, this is an active combat zone!" Said the old man who was a sergeant. "Get inside the bunker you'll be safe there."

"My name is Ranger Commander Shepard. I was on leave here." The two soldiers looked like they were about to doubt him until they saw his Handcannon in its holster on his hip.

"Well Commander you sure picked a shitty time to go on leave." Said the young man wincing as a chuck of the wall got blown off.

"Tell me about it. Do you have any reinforcements on the way?" Shepard asked picking up rifle and a vest off a dead soldier.

"Everyone else is either dead, cut off, or in the middle of their own fight. Me and the private here are the only guys in the immediate area. These bastards must have been planning this for a while cause they caught us with our pants down! Who they hell are they anyway?!"

"Judging from the armor, weapons, and their physical profile I'd have to say they're batarians." Said Shepard

"I didn't even know the four eyes were sore at us!" Said the private

"They're probably here for slaves. I heard they raid colonies all the time but Elysium isn't some frontier colony. We're a full state in the United Republic. It'll be war I say." Replied the old man who was peaking over the wall as the fire began to quiet down.

"They most likely believed the rumor circulating around the galaxy that we're a paper tiger." Said Shepard as he joined the sergeant in looking over the wall. The batarians were up to something.

"But we beat the turians on Vietnam!" Said the private "They're considered the best military in the galaxy."

"Correction. We beat a small patrol group under the command of a mad general. A lot of the turian higher ups have been spouting that if it was an actual military force under command of a competent commander the results would've been different. One of their more prominent admirals recently released a statement doubting the combat effectiveness of human ships saying that their vast size will make them easy targets."

"That's bullshit." Said the private who joined them in watching the batarians strange behavior.

"It's bullshit the galaxy believes however. Add in the fact that outside the occasional pirate our fleet is still unproven. To most of the galaxy we do seem to be a paper tiger. The batarians decided to see if it was true."

"Commander the Batarians seem to have gotten a big group of reinforcements. Among other things..." Said the now frightened sergeant.

"Holy shit is that a tank?" Breathed the private

"Things just keep getting better." Said Shepard raising his rifle as the batarians charged their position.

* * *

 _Republic News Network. You give us ten minutes and we'll give you the galaxy!_

Crisis on Elysium! A large slaver raid took the planet by surprise earlier today. Slaver forces ran amok for over an hour before the URSF 1st Fleet relieved the battered defenders. Over 3,000 are dead or wounded and another 200 are missing presumed kidnapped by fleeing slavers. Estimates put the damage at over 3 billion credits.

In much brighter news the inhabitants of one of the larger Elysian vaults managed to avoid being captured by slavers due to the efforts of 3 valiant soldiers who singlehandedly held off over 200 slavers with armor support. Ranger Commander Shepard managed to destroy 3 tanks and had 97 confirmed kills before they were relieved by Republic forces. Commander Shepard is slated to receive both the Ranger Badge of Courage and the Republic Medal of Honor. Sergeant Daniel Keaton and Private Conrad Verner are to also receive the Medal of Honor though both plan on leaving the Elysian Guard.

This just in! AIs with Republic Intelligence have just finished cracking the firewalls of captured slaver ships. They reveal that this attack was carried out by slavers under the employ of the Batarian Hegemony who planned and funded this attack. Armed with this information the Wanderer has called an emergency session of the Senate with the goal of declaring war.

 _"For too long the Batarian Hegemony believed they can raid whenever and whomever they please! Well I say no more!" said the Wanderer "As of this moment a state of war exists between the United Republic of States and the Batarian Hegemony!"_

In a shocking move the Wanderer has asked other heads of state not to join in as per the Extraterrestrial Defense Treaty stating the United Republic can handle this alone.

Later we'll bring you the URSF's first attack on batarian territory but now a message from our sponsors.

 _Are you an alien national? Want to become a citizen but don't want to go through the long hassle of standard immigration procedures? Looking for a little danger? The Republic Foreign Legion may just be for you! After a mandatory term of service you will be awarded citizenship no questions asked. Any and all species are accepted so head on down to your local Republic Consulate and join up! And remember: Service Guarantees Citizenship!_

* * *

 **3 days after Elysium Attack**

 **URSF 3rd Fleet**

 **Venator-Class Dreadnought** _ **Resolute**_

 **Approaching Torfan**

"Dinky little world isn't it?" said Admiral Roth

"A real hive of scum and villainy sir." Maya, the ship's AI, replied.

"Star Trek: New Frontier right?" teased Roth catching the reference.

"Do you have a better description...?"

"No. It's a very appropriate one. Once we're done here I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference."

"What's the plan of attack sir?"

"Nothing too fancy. Overwhelm their defenses, achieve orbital superiority, light planetary bombardment, and once that's done we the ground pounders mop up."

"Scans show the Batarian fleet is mostly made up of pirate & slaver vessels. Frigates and corvettes made for raiding and not extended combat. They did get some reinforcements however."

"Why am I not going to like the sound of this?" Roth sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

"A fleet of Hegemony Navy ships including 2 dreadnoughts arrived yesterday. The Admiral in charge has whipped the pirates & slavers into something that might actually pose a threat."

"That's what I get for thinking this was going to be easy. Tell the fleet to prep all fighters and bombers. Things are going to get interesting."

The _Resolute_ continued on toward Torfan with two Hunter-Class Cruisers, the _Avenger_ & _Crusader_ , covering its flanks. Three Acclamator-Class Frigates which were carrying the ground forces were also following but far enough away where they would be in the direct line of fire. Along with them was a Citadel News Network ship which was invited by the Wanderer. Officially they were there to observe the battle. Unofficially they were only allowed so that the galaxy can see what happens when you underestimate the Republic.

As the Republic Fleet approached the batarian fleet over Torfan began to get into defensive positions. Though the batarians were initially surprised that the Republic's retaliation came so swiftly their surprise quickly gave way to arrogance. They only sent in six of their oversized ships! The defense fleet over Torfan had over 100 ships which included two dreadnoughts of the Hegemony's Navy that had been sent to bolster their forces. Their mass accelerators should be sure to gut those oversized ships which didn't even have mass accelerators of their own.

The commander of the Torfan's forces, an Admiral in the hegemony navy, swelled with pride& confidence. Pride in the fleet his superiors gave him and absolute confidence that it will put the humans in their place. His forces greatly outnumbered and outgunned those of the humans who sent a force so laughably small he almost felt insulted. Still his prestige could only increase if he wiped out these human upstarts.

"Target the biggest ship." he ordered "Their moral will be shattered once we take out that oversized hunk of junk."

The crew hurried to comply with the admiral's order. In a few moments the dreadnought's mass accelerator fired sending a slug towards the Republic ships at a fraction of the speed of light. The slug streaked across space until it struck the ship dead center but to the batarians' disbelief it had done no noticeable damage.

"What happened?! They should be a burning pile of slag!" yelled the Admiral

"Maybe it impacted on their shields?" suggested an ensign who immediately regretted his decision when the Admiral rounded on him.

"They don't use element zero!" the admiral roared "How could they possibly have shields?!"

"That caused a slight shudder." said Admiral Roth when the batarian mass accelerator round impacted. "Maya what's the drain on our shields?"

"Shields are down to 87.3 percent. Not as much I was expecting seeing how much the other races hype up their dreadnoughts, but it still hurt."

"If we were put under sustained fire how long will the shields hold?" Roth asked

"If we shut down nonessential systems we could last awhile though in an extended battle we'll be relying a lot on our armor."

"How long until we're in firing range?"

"About 3 minutes, sir. More than enough time for the batarians to whittle down our shields."

"Not if we keep them busy. Send word to the _Avenger_ and _Crusader_. Tell them to launch their fighters  & bombers and send ours out as well. Time to thin the herd."

"Admiral the humans are launching fighters!" yelled an ensign

The Admiral scoffed. The humans sent fighters against his fleet. Fighters were only useful against corvettes, lightly armed frigates, and other fighters. They'd be useless against his fleet's cruisers let alone his dreadnoughts. Instead of sending out his fighters to counter them his dreadnought's point defenses will have the honor of blowing them to pieces.

As the fighters came closer he noticed some were much larger than the others. They had a strange almost antiquated looking design with large wings making it appear more like a primitive aircraft than a space vessel. The smaller fighters were only a little better having a much smaller profile but still being much larger than a normal fighter. It seems these humans couldn't even build fighters correctly.

Suddenly one of the larger fighters fired something. They were moving so fast that he only caught a glimpse at what looked like a blue ball of swirling energy before they struck his ship. The ship's lights and consoles flickered with some shutting of completely. As his crew worked to restore power the human fighters fired more of those energy blasts these being purple. The ship shook and shuddered violently as whatever those things were did their damage. Looking out the bridge windows he could see those fighters strafing the other vessels in his fleet with everything smaller than a cruiser becoming nothing but scrap after a single hit.

"Damage report!" the admiral yelled "Did those things get past our shields?!"

"Their first attack completely fried the ship's systems!" said an ensign "The mass accelerator and shields were brought down along with almost all our nonessential systems! We're lucky we didn't lose life support!"

"How long will it take to bring them back online?!" he demanded

"A few minutes at least!"

"You've got one!"

The admiral turned his gaze back towards the window just in time to watch the fleet's other dreadnought explode in a brilliant ball of fire. How could mere fighters do this!? His attention was brought back to the Republic's fleet when a cruiser exploded after being hit with a storm of blue energy blasts. The Republic's main fleet had just entered firing range and now destroying his fleet one by one with overwhelming fire. In any other circumstance he would be impressed at the rate of fire those ships possessed but not when it was HIS fleet they were firing upon!

"Where are those weapons, ensign!?" he roared

"I'm trying, sir!" the ensign yelled back typing furiously.

"Try harder or it won't be the humans that kill you!"

"Admiral, look!" said his XO pointing out the bridge window.

He just managed to catch a glimpse of a B-71 Star Fortress dropping its payload of proton bombs turning his ship into a fireball that could be seen from Torfan's surface.

* * *

 _Some folks are born made to wave the flag_

 _Ooh, they're white and baby blue_

 _And when the band plays "Hymn of Liberty"_

 _Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord_

 _It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son_

 _It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no_

"Alright Sarge. We get it. You're old. Can you put on something a bit more modern?"

"Like hell I'm putting on that techno shit you kids are listening to these days. You gotta respect the classics."

"It's a hell of a lot better than this old people music."

"Speak for yourself Rawlings. I like the Sarge's taste in music and not that hipster crap you listen to."

"Just because I listen to something new and obscure that makes me a hipster?"

"Yes."

This is what Shepard had to listen to for the past few days. The URGF was a formidable fighting force that had many victories under its belt but it was very… informal. Unlike the Romans, Germans, or Hanoians who were known for their discipline and dogged adherence to the chain of command. In Republic military branches those with higher ranks were just those you took orders from and it wasn't uncommon to see officers mingling with regular soldiers. A negative side effect when your nation was mostly at peace with the odd barbarian war to justify keeping such a large military.

Officially he was attached to this platoon to assist them during the ground assault on Torfan. Unofficially it was expected that he'll do whatever the hell he pleased. Rangers were a commando type unit that unlike those of other human nations usually fought alone or in small 3-man teams. This meant they had more in common with Asari Commandos or Spectres than they did with a standard commando unit like Carthaginian Sacred Band or Roman Praetorians. It was said that Rangers only had one true mission goal: Raise Hell. In normal circumstances he would do just that. Destroying bridges, assassinating officers, and causing general chaos among enemy ranks.

However it wouldn't do well for his conscience if he let these guys get slaughtered by Batarian defenses while he was off taking down so two-bit slaver leader who would just get killed by something else anyway. With the fleet in control of the system none of these slavers were escaping which more than a few learned the hard way when their ships got shot down by fighters.

" _All personnel this is the Captain speaking. Prepare for ground combat operations. Good luck down there and God Bless the Republic!"_

Shepard sealed his helmet and grabbed his weapons. The platoon he was with had the best job (or worst depending on who you asked) of being tasked with securing a landing zone. There were supposed to be several other Rangers sent down to the moon. Be good to talk to someone that didn't consider him to be a memetic badass. Guess it was time to get to work.

 _Attention, attention! Human military forces have begun landing on the Torfan's surface. All able-bodied forces are expected to take up arms in its defense! It's time to show these upstarts the power of the Hegemony!_

* * *

Korek Res'garr was a member of the Hegemony's First Strike Commandos. Keyword being 'was'. When it was formed along with the rest of the Hegemony the FSC was intended to be their species first strike against any hostile alien forces. Destroying shipyards, supply convoys, and anything else that would make the enemy bleed. Outside of their rather violent first contact and a couple of skirmishes with the other Council races the FSC didn't see much action. They spent a majority of their time 'keeping order' in the core territories which is why he left.

The Hegemony's idea of keeping order was to send the FSC to preemptively take out any group they considered a future threat to the stability of the Hegemony. He had no problem with it at first since the people they fought were legit terrorists and criminals or so he thought. Turns out the terrorists were really just groups the Hegemony wanted gone. From reformists trying to abolish the caste system to those trying to improve the lives of slaves they were all wiped out 'for the good of the Hegemony'. Needless to say he felt sick and ashamed. Despite the threat of being disowned by his family he left the military and became a merc instead hoping to see all that the galaxy had to offer. Since he now was currently hiding out in the bottom of a bomb crater trying not to drown as it filled with sewage from a busted main you could see things didn't go exactly as he planned…

Right now his options were to climb out of this crater and get shot before he could surrender. Climb out of this crater and surrender only to get shot by a trigger happy human. Stay and drown in sewage. Climb out, surrender, and spend the rest of the war on a beach surrounded by scantily clad Asari and Batarian females. The last one had little chance at coming true but a man can dream.

The sewage was coming up to his waist now so it was now or never. Climbing up the sloped walls of the crater trying not to fall back in. The street was deserted with no signs of life. He climbed out and slowly crept through the down the street heading… anywhere really. He left his weapons back in the crater. If he ran into humans they'd hopefully be reluctant to shoot an unarmed soldier and if he ran into other Batarians he couldn't get sent back out if he didn't have a weapon.

It was quite a while before he came across anyone due to him being so careful. He wanted to see them before they saw him. After all there never was such thing as too paranoid. He moved to take a step forward only to jump back when a red blast impacted near his foot. Coming out of the darkness holding a laser rifle was a Republic Ranger. Rangers were a force that quickly became infamous in the Terminus Systems. Since what people began calling the 'Omega Incident' Rangers are spoken of in the same amount of fear afforded to Spectres.

"Alright ya bastard. Put your hands in the air and don't move a muscle." Said the Ranger aiming the rifle at his chest. "My name is Ranger Kenneth Donnelly but you're gonna call me sir. Now follow me or I'll blow your bloody head off."

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

"They've taken the bait better than I've expected. I wondered if the leaders of this 'Hegemony' would doubt my words but they went to war with little hesitation."

"Shall I prepare our troops to join in?"

"Nein. Let's watch this play out…"

"B-But sir!"

"I said Nein, General. I've learned from my previous mistakes. We cannot hope to stand against the Republic nay the entire galaxy especially in our present state. Neither can the Batarians. Ironic that they are the paper tiger they assume the Republic is. The war will be short and when it's done the Republic will be weary and overextended. Then we will make our move."

"A brilliant plan, my Fuhrer."

* * *

 **Civilopedia**

 **Ranger Handcannon-** The Handcannon is the revolver issued to all Rangers upon graduating from Ranger Academy. Originally chambered in 45-70 rounds the Handcannon has sense been upgraded to use special slugs propelled using mass effect based accelerators built into the gun.

A Handcannon is a Ranger's pride & joy. It never leaves their side. It's said the only way a Ranger will give up their handcannon is if they're dead. The weapons have become rare collector's items in the Terminus Systems due to this reputation.

 **B-71 Star Fortress-** Wanting to have a heavy bomber to supplement their Y-Wing light bombers the United Republic designed this behemoth. It was purposefully designed to be a tribute to the famous B-17 Flying Fortress from WW2. Its bay is loaded with Plasma Bombs, Proton Torpedoes, and EMP Missiles. The bomber is defended by an array of blaster turrets that can be either manned or controlled by a VI.

 **Ranger Ranking System**

 **Ranger General-** Commander of all Rangers. Handpicked by previous Ranger General or Wanderer in the event of General's death.

 **Ranger Colonel-** Leads a 'division' of around 30 Rangers

 **Ranger Captain-** Leads a 'platoon' of 10 Rangers.

 **Ranger Commander-** Leads a 'squad' of 3 rangers.

 **Ranger Lieutenant-** Typically leads a squad of URGF soldiers or works alone.

 **Ranger-** Has graduated from the Ranger Academy

 **Recruit-** Is currently attending Ranger Academy.

* * *

 **Cultural Civilopedia**

 **Name:** Star Trek: New Frontier

 **Type:** TV Series

 **Year:** 1972

 **Nation of Origin:** United Republic of States

 **Plot:** When testing a new warp drive the Enterprise is flung into a far off galaxy caught in the middle of a civil war. Despite attempting to remain neutral the Enterprise's crew find themselves helping the Rebel Alliance fight the Galactic Empire.

 **Famous Quote:** "May the Force be with you."

 **AN:** Star Wars but in Star Trek.

* * *

 **Name:** Fallout 1

 **Type:** Video Game

 **Year:** 1995

 **Nation of Origin:** United Republic of States

 **Plot:** Several decades after a nuclear war destroys human civilization the Water Chip in Vault 13 built outside the ruins of Los Santos fails. The Player Character known only as the Vault Dweller is sent out to search for a new one in the wasteland that used to be the Republican West.

 **AN:** Not much different here. The only things different from our Fallout is the map, locations, and weapons. The map is twice the size of that in our Fallout 1 but the southern portion of the map is taken up by Los Santos' ruins with numerous factions owning sections of the city.


	12. Chapter 10

**For the Republic**

 **AN: Got a lot of important info in the end of chapter Author's Note so please read.**

 _It is well that war is so terrible. Lest we might grow too fond of it._

 _-General Robert E. Lee, United Republic Ground Forces 1860_

 _Vigilo Confido._

 _-XCOM Motto_

* * *

 **Empty space near Kar'shan**

 **XCS** _ **Avenger**_

Since it was created XCOM has been preparing for the inevitable moment when it was finally revealed to humanity that it was not alone in the universe. For much of the 21st Century it sat ignored and considered by some to be a waste of money. That was until the prothean ruins were found on Mars. New life was breathed into the organization which quickly found itself being given the cutting edge of human technological development and a pool of the most skilled soldiers, scientists, and engineers in the world to recruit from.

Despite the Vietnam War being considered by many a great victory for humankind it was considered a source of shame for XCOM. The one thing they were created to do was over before they could participate. How many died simply because they were not there? In their first real test against the galaxy's threats XCOM had failed…

That would not happen again. XCOM's new commander Jack Harper, a former member of the Republican Black Operations Group, restructured the organization to deal with any threat the galaxy threw at it. Instead on large-scale battles more suited for a traditional military XCOM would covertly insert small teams of soldiers to deal with threats. This better suited the special forces origins of XCOM's soldiers. More focus would be put on XCOM's naval forces to help counter the numerical advantage the Council held over them. XCOM's Research & Development Labs will analyze Council technology and will learn from it, improve upon it, and eventually nullify it. Dr. Gavin Archer has already designed a special round to nullify biotic or kinetic barriers. XCOM's Engineering Division under Dr. Eva Core have already pushed the limits of human technological development by building improved energy weapon and power armor models. The Intelligence Division under Henry Lawson has made significant strides in completely destroying alien abilities to spy on humanity. His best agents had recently captured one of the Shadow Broker's top infiltrators and have begun interrogating him.

Although the Wanderer asked the other human nations to stay out of the Republic's war with the Batarian Hegemony he didn't include XCOM and they would have disobeyed the order even if he did. They missed the first war between humans and aliens and they certainly weren't going to miss another. Besides it gave Commander Harper a chance to refine his tactics and finally prove to the naysayers in the most spectacular way that XCOM was not a waste of money…

* * *

 **Kar'shan**

 **Hegemon's Palace**

 _Welcome to Kar'shan. For our first real combat mission the Commander has decided to go for broke. You'll be inserted directly into Kar'shan's capital city at the Hegemon's Palace. Once there you will attempt to capture or kill the Batarian Hegemon. Your secondary objective is to gather any and all incriminating information or information that will help the war effort. Your third objective is unimportant to the mission as a whole. If you can't accomplish it without jeopardizing the mission then you're given the greenlight to abandon it. Try to keep this quiet. We don't want our 'friend' slipping away. Good luck out there team. Central out._

No one cared as the 'StarRanger' landed at the Hegemon's Palace that evening. This was the Batarian Homeworld. One of the most heavily defended planets in the galaxy. An entire fleet was in orbit at all times with another a short relay jump away. Dozens of orbital defense stations were the second line of defense and hundreds of ground based mass drivers made up the third. After that they would have to get by millions of the Hegemony's elite troops. Military analysts believed it would take the combined fleets of the Turians, Asari, and Salarians to pierce the planet's defenses. Even though they were at war with the United Republic most of the fighting was in the Skyillian Verge with only the tinniest of skirmishes in Hegemony Space or at least that was what the news said. The Hegemony also had some of the strictest immigration & tourist policies in the galaxy beat only by the Turians who made it difficult for other species to legally live on Palaven. They didn't need any aliens polluting superior Batarian culture with their own or giving the lower castes ideas. This reputation was just seen as another weakness for XCOM to exploit.

All of this protection made the Hegemony's homeworld free from the threat of alien invasion whether through armies or ideals. This had the unfortunate effect of making Kar'shan's defenders lazy and inexperienced. Getting an assignment on the homeworld was seen as a cushy job by all in the Hegemony's military. A chance to kick back and relax. When a strange aircraft painted in non-Hegemony colors was seen flying through the air towards the Hegemon's palace few paid it any mind. Most assumed it was some new experimental military craft that was about to be shown off to the Hegemon himself. After all who would not only try to infiltrate Kar'shan but have the audacity to fly through the air with no attempt at disguising their ship?

The StarRanger landed on a landing pad in the rear of the palace. No one was on the platform though that would change quickly. The four man team quickly filed out taking cover and just in time as two palace guards walked through the door to the palace interior. They were walking towards the StarRanger no doubt to ask the pilot what his business here was. Their demeanor wasn't what you'd expect for the elite protectors of the Hegemon. Their weapons were undrawn and they were both talking & laughing completely unaware of the four highly trained enemy commandos less than ten feet from them. The two batarians last conscious thoughts were them registering that their necks had been snapped without getting a chance to see their killers let alone knowing they were even there. The bodies were quickly disposed of and the uniforms taken. The two disguised soldiers walked through the halls with purpose. After all who would stop someone that looked like they were doing something important?

Finding the Hegemon was a simple matter thanks to the information they stole from the Shadow Broker and STG. The Hegemon adhered to a fairly strict schedule. He always ate, worked, and slept at certain times meaning he could easily be intercepted by those that knew his schedule. He was currently in his quarters 'entertaining' himself with a few of his slaves before bed. They were to capture him and hack his terminal for any information they could get their hands on. Their third objective was freeing his slaves though if on the off chance he wasn't here but elsewhere then they were to abandon this objective all together. Judging from the sounds coming from inside this was unnecessary.

The door to the Hegemon's quarters had two guards standing next to it. Upon seeing the disguised XCOM soldiers approach the guards instantly relaxed. One of them walked up and said "Finally. I never thought our shift will end. After hearing the Hegemon with his slaves for the past hour I can't wait to get back home to mine."

Beating down the urge to shoot the batarian in the back the disguised soldiers took up position on either side of the door. The cloaked soldiers quickly slipped in unnoticed. The disguised soldiers stood at attention ready to turn back anyone that approached or if things went south be the first line of defense. Thankfully nothing happened. The only thing of note to occur was passing guards making comments on the 'overachieving new guys' who didn't move or make a sound while guarding the Hegemon's door.

The Batarian Hegemon Mallek was using his newest slave. A quarian female he bought a couple of months ago. Getting to see just what quarians looked like under their suits was worth the amount of credits he spent getting medicine to keep her from dying still the novelty was wearing off quickly. She still sobbed loudly while he did the act which ruined the experience for him. His other slaves had long since learned to keep quiet though it looked like he needed to remind her again.

"Be quiet!" he said giving her a strong slap across her face.

The quarian clutched her face and gave him a look of pained outrage. She looked like she was about to say something until she quickly corrected herself. Good. She was learning. Now to make sure she took it to heart. As he prepared to slap her again he felt something roughly grab his hand. Looking to his left he could see someone covered head to toe in black armor shake their head disapprovingly. The person was most likely a human male judging from the body shape since Asari were a lot thinner. How did humans get on Kar'shan let alone his private quarters!

"Now Hegemon." Said the human wagging his finger at him "Hitting defenseless women is a serious offence. Adding the slavery and being an asshole on top of that only makes it worse. Why that puts you in serious danger of…"

Hegemon Mallek was felt his collar roughly grabbed by someone else. Mallek then found himself face to face with a helmetless human female whose face was contorted into the very definition of rage.

"…getting your ass kicked." The female finished a cruel grin appearing on her face.

The next few minutes of consciousness Mallek experienced were nothing but pain.

"Hey. Are you okay?" the male asked kneeling next to the quarian

The quarian shrank back while making a futile effort to cover herself. "Thank you." She mumbled.

"Hey don't mention it. Getting to beat the shit out of this guy is a both a public service and a pleasure. Speaking of which. Hey Jack, how are you doing."

"Everything. Is. Going. Fan-fucking-tastic. We. Should. Do. This. More. Often." Jack said as she punched the Hegemon in the face with each word. "You. Want. A. Turn. Jacob?

"Maybe later though remember we're supposed to bring him back alive." Jacob warned.

"Just how alive are we talking about?" Jack asked throwing down the Hegemon whose face was almost unrecognizable.

"Enough to stand trial."

"You hear that Mally? We get to have more fun later." She taunted giving him a kick in the groin.

Jacob rolled his eyes and turned back to the quarian. "Does he have any other slaves here?" he asked.

She nodded and pointed to a nearby door. "In that room there. He keeps us locked in cages when we're not being… used."

Jacob nodded quickly heading over to the room and giving the Hegemon a kick of his own when he passed him. When Jacob opened the door he gagged from the stench that assaulted his nostrils the moment he opened the door. The room itself looked very much like a medieval dungeon with its stone walls & floors. The only thing modern was the single light hanging from the ceiling which did a poor job illuminating the room. Inside were 8 iron cages like what you'd see at a zoo. In 7 of those cages were women from various races. 3 Asari, 2 batarians, 1 turian, and 1 drell. They all had nothing to wear let alone sleep on. In each cage was a bucket which he quickly guessed the use of. Explained the smell.

"What the fuck!?" Jack said upon looking inside herself. She then turned back towards the Hegemon who had the good sense to look scared shitless.

"Jack." Jacob said quietly grabbing her attention. "Call in the StarRanger. Let's get the hell out of here. Until it gets here however. Do your absolute worse…"

"Yes, sir." Jack said as she stomped over to the Hegemon

Jacob tried to ignore the screams as he unlocked the cages.

The screaming of the Hegemon was ignored by the palace staff. It was a lesson they learned the last time that happened during the reign of a previous hegemon. When his screaming was heard throughout the palace the guards rushed in weapons at the ready. Turns out he wasn't in danger like they initially assumed and that he was just 'experimenting'. Since then any noise coming out of a Hegemon's quarters during their private time was ignored. It looks like this hegemon was into the 'kinky stuff' as well.

The only point when the guards realized this wasn't that kind of situation is when a strange aircraft hovered near the balcony of the hegemon's quarters. There was absolutely no rational explanation for that happening. By the time anti-aircraft guns could get a lock on it the aircraft flew away. It must have had some kind of advanced cloaking or jamming systems because once it went above cloud level they lost it and the defense fleet found no sign of it. The only ones with tech that good was the humans but the frontline was lightyears from here. If they could still perform operations this far into hegemony space…

A lot of heads rolled when it was discovered the Hegemon was gone. The Captain of the Palace Guard was stripped of his rank along with him and his being demoted down the lower castes. Hegemony leadership is currently in the middle of deciding who would become the new hegemon. There is a line of succession in place in case something like this happened but recently a faction within the Hegemony had gained significant traction. They advocated making peace with the humans and restricting slave raids to the Terminus to avoid antagonizing the Council. This kidnapping of the hegemon and the Republic's success on the battlefield is giving them more and more support. Hopefully this could be resolved before the humans find out and capitalize on it.

* * *

 **Operation: Shadow Hawk**

 **Success**

 **Batarian Hegemon Captured**

 **Seven non-human slaves freed**

 **Participating Soldiers**

 **Lieutenant Jacob 'Corsair' Taylor**

 **0 kills**

 **Corporal Jacqueline 'Jack' Nought (Recommended for Promotion)**

 **0 kills, 1 severely beaten batarian**

 **Sergeant Miranda Lawson**

 **1 kill**

 **Sergeant Kai Leng**

 **1 kill**

Jack Harper allowed himself a rare smile as he read the after action report. For XCOM's first real mission this couldn't have gone any better. While the Hegemony will no doubt be on their guard from now on this had done much for XCOM and humanity as a whole. The Hegemon of the Batarian Hegemony was kidnapped from his very home by humans. No matter how much they try to water it down with propaganda the fact that Kar'shan isn't safe from humanity has dealt a serious blow to the Hegemony.

The shocks were felt throughout Council Space as well. Even on its best day the STG wouldn't be able to attempt something so unreasonably insane which was admittedly part of the reason why it worked. The slaves they freed have been released back into Council Space baring half of them who wanted to stay. The ones that left wasted no time in telling of the horrors they experienced at the hands of Hegemon with the Asari having spent up to a century in captivity being passed down by hegemon to hegemon. This for lack of a better term lit a fire under the Council ass who was being bombarded with demands, mostly from turians, to join the Republic in its war with the Hegemony. For now they've kept silent but the pressure was mounting up. His sources in the Republic Military say that the war might be over by the time they join in. The Wanderer has called for a massive assault on hegemony space saying that 'it's time we took off the kid gloves'. The days of the Batarian Hegemony were numbered.

The slaves that didn't leave outright pleaded with him to join XCOM. They were the quarian, turian, one of the batarians, and one of the asari. While at first he was a bit loathe to let aliens join XCOM he could see they at least some of them had some value to them. The asari was a former commando and biotics instructor though before being enslaved attempted to leave that life behind and pursue a career in science. Ms. Rana Thanoptis would be invaluable when Dr. Archer's research into creating human biotics finally bared fruit.

The quarian like many of her species was a mechanical prodigy. She and Dr. Core had an hour long discussion on the possible melding of human & mass effect technology which only ended when Dr. Core remembered the quarian wasn't supposed to be on the engineering level in the first place. He couldn't tell between the two of them who was unhappier when the guards escorted the quarian back to the clean room she was staying in. Ms. Gabbi'Danells will no doubt be surprised to find herself officially added to XCOM's engineering division come tomorrow.

The turian was the leader of a small group of mercenaries that was decimated by a slaver group on their way to Omega. She and the few other survivors were enslaved. Since turian females were rare captures she was snatched up by Mallek as the new addition to his 'collection'. She was a biotic also and a decent fighter. Ms. Nyreen Kandros would be added to XCOM's pool of soldiers.

The batarian was the hardest place. She was a slave all her life leaving her with no special skills and no combat experience. It would take too long to train her to the level of the rest of XCOM's soldiers who were experienced special forces from all of nations. She knew that on some level and has been keeping herself busy helping out everywhere she could. She was a pretty decent cook as well making some traditional batarian dishes in the Avenger's mess hall. She had no official name just being referred to as slave, wench, and other less polite names. One of her kinder masters gave her something approaching a name. The closest English translation would be 'One who tends the crops'. XCOM personnel naturally shortened that to Gardner.

When he informed the Leaders of him accepting the freed slaves into XCOM the responses were 'mixed' to say the least. None of them were against it but both Caesar and Bismarck warned him against possible attempts to take what they learned back to Council Space. He informed them that he made precautions like having the Director of XCOM Intelligence Henry Lawson keep near constant watch on them. Once that was done he returned to Mission Control. He had more operations to plan out. There was a war going on after all.

* * *

 **Torfan**

 **Republic FOB**

'This is going much better than expected' Shepard thought as he waited in the briefing room. Since landing here a couple days ago the Battle for Torfan proceeded quite smoothly. Nearly all pirate, slaver, and military installations were wiped out in the first six hours of combat. Unfortunately the surviving enemy forces retreated within Torfan's single city and dug in. In a normal circumstance they'd blast the city to pieces with bombers or artillery but they were still inhabited by large numbers of civilians. The brass was loathe to do anything that might kill loads of civilians which wasn't at all help by the tendency of the batarians to set up in residential areas or keep 'refugees' near their bases.

This left them having to take the city block by block. In the past this would be a long hard battle but the sheer differences between Republic and batarian forces made it much easier than it had any right to be. Though that was to be expected when you pitted a professional military with energy weapons, power armor, and orbital/air superiority against a force of pirates & slavers who were more suited for quick raids than extended battle. The only ones who showed any real competency were the mercs and the few Hegemony troops sent her in preparation for the Republic's assault.

The battle looked to be coming to an end with the only major enemy force being in what looked to be the governor's mansion. It was this overly extravagant building built on a hill overlooking the city so the governor could look down on all he ruled. It had since been heavily fortified causing it to resemble a military compound. Due to being out of the way of any civilian buildings they'd ordinary bomb the place to oblivion to not waste any forces attempting to take it. Unfortunately the commander of the hegemony's forces no doubt foresaw this. He had his troops round up any slaves, civilians, and Republic prisoners. They then brought them within their compound and broadcasted a warning saying that if they were attacked then the hostages would be executed.

The brass was unwilling to have a massacre on their hands especially with Citadel News watching them. That was something Shepard disapproved of though he didn't voice his opinions. The brass was using this as a chance to show off in front of the cameras. He could see the logic of it. Showing the galaxy what they could do to help deter any more attacks. He still didn't like it though.

The briefing soon got underway. All Rangers present on Torfan were in this mission. They were to covertly infiltrate the mansion through the sewers. They would no doubt be guarded so AIs would jam the communications of those stationed down there allowing them to slip in unnoticed. Shepard grimaced he didn't like stealth ops that much but anything for this battle to finally be over. He was getting paired with another Ranger Donnelly for this. That was one silver lining to this. He trained with Ken back at the academy and every minute he spent with that scot bastard was one worth remembering. Scots were descended from the barbarians that originally lived in the area where Liberty City now sits. They along with other defeated tribes were absorbed into the Republic. He was a damn fine soldier and always had a funny comment no matter the situation which was a plus in Shepard's book.

He went to the armory to collect his weapons. He went with something different from his usual arsenal due to this being a stealth mission. A suppressor equipped MP5 along with an AER7 Laser Pistol. While not a Republican weapon the guns the Germans made was decent in his eyes. The laser was incase things went bad which given his luck was no doubt going to happen…

* * *

 **Civilopedia**

 **XCS Avenger** \- The prototype to the Roman's Executor-Class Superdreadnought the Avenger is the mobile headquarters for XCOM. While no meant for combat the ship is heavily armed and equipped with humanity's best weapons, fighters, and soldiers

 **Length:** 10 KM

 **Weapons** : 200 turbolaser batteries of varying sizes, 100 point defense turrets, 40 Concussion missile launchers, and one experimental ion cannon.

 **Compliment:** 20 F-170s, 20 TIE Fighters, 20 ME-901s, 20 MIG 75 A-Wings, 20, 10 B-71s, 20 TIE Bombers, and 40 Republican and Russian Y-Wings. 10 StarRangers and 20 LAATs.

 **Crew:** 1500 assorted personnel (crewman, engineers, scientists, etc.), 10 digital AIs, 80 platform equipped AIs (Humanoid bodies, disposable 'droid' bodies, armored assault walkers), 40 six soldier squads (240 troops).

* * *

 **Cultural Civilopedia**

 **Name:** World War Z

 **Type:** Literature

 **Year:** 2004

 **Nation of Origin:** United Republic of States

 **Plot:** A novel by Max Brooks detailing what would happen if a zombie outbreak happened in real life. Presented in an oral history format the book was a best seller and was later adapted into a film.

 **AN:** The infection starts by Carthagian archeologists catching the virus in spore form and bring it back to their homeland. The virus quickly spreads from Carthage to the entire world due to Carthage's status as a trade hub. All nations fair terribly in the war. Much of Rome remains irradiated due to failure of nuclear power plants. The mainland United Republic is abandoned after the disastrous 'Battle of Broker'. Much of Germany is lost with them having them flee to the Republican city of Stilwater which becomes a fortress in a sea of undead. Russia continues fighting the undead for years after the war due to the cold temperatures making it difficult to find and kill every undead. The city-state of Hanoi is wiped out with its remaining populace living in the Republic dreaming of one day reclaiming their homeland. A barbarian confederacy rises up in the unclaimed areas of the world.

* * *

 **Name:** Apocalypse Now

 **Type:** Film

 **Year:** 1998

 **Nation of Origin:** United Republic of States

 **Plot:** In the 1960s a Republic Ranger defects to a large tribe of barbarians and attempts to turn them into a powerful empire. The URGF is sent in to take them out. Based on a true story.

 **Famous Quote:** 'I love the smell of Napalm in the morning'

 **AN:** Apocalypse Now is a true story in this world. Colonel Kilgore is a highly respected figure in the URGF especially with the air cavalry who play 'Ride of the Valkyries' in his honor.

* * *

 **Name:** Enemy at the Gates

 **Type:** Film

 **Year:** 1973

 **Nation of Origin:** United Socialist State of Russia

 **Plot:** Takin place in the First World War the film follows a squad of Russian soldiers who attempt to hold the city of St. Petersburg from the Romans. The film is famous for being the originator of the 'Roman Army Ending' trope when film ends with the two surviving members of the squad run towards an entire roman platoon firing their weapons.

 **Famous Quote:** 'Not one step backwards!'

 **AN:** This film is very popular in Rome strangely enough despite the number of Romans getting gunned down on screen. Probably because the battle is kept largely in the background with much of the focus being the squads reactions to fighting a losing battle.

* * *

 **AN: Alright got some big news! The place where I'm getting my job training wasn't being entirely truthful when they said 'no electronics'. What they meant was that 'you can bring electronics but we not responsible if something happens to them'. I promptly collected my laptop and been writing in my spare time so you guys will get chapter. Just don't expect them that often.**

 **I'm also planning on starting to write the 'Republic in a Sea of Time' story. It will be a low priority story like Wanderer101's Adventures through the Multiverse so updates will be rare. By the time this posted I will have placed a poll asking people to vote which civilizations will be present. I will then play that game the results of which will affect the story.**

 **I might let you guys vote on which Wonders and other mods I'll use. Depends on how quickly the first poll goes.**


End file.
